Chapter 4 examines the critical problem of Hector’s self-condemnation in Book 22, where he attributes the army’s destruction to his ‘recklessness.’ The text reviews the three interpretations that have been offered: that Hector acted hubristically against Zeus’s advice, that he was innocently deceived by an unfulfilled divine promise, or that his actions were due to double motivation. The chapter argues that none of these interpretations is correct. Zeus only influenced Hector via external messages, without direct mental intervention, and Hector’s actions were not hubristic. The argument proposes that one must ‘read’ Hector’s mind, interpreting his actions on the basis of what he knows. Hector’s fatal decision in Book 18 to remain outside the city walls, ignoring Polydamas’ advice, resulted from a misunderstanding. He mistakenly believed Apollo’s encouragement (Book 15) superseded Zeus’s earlier message (Book 11), perceiving it as a new, specific divine instruction. Hector’s tragic downfall is thus rooted in a failure of communication and his misinterpretation of Zeus’s will, leading to an outcome opposite to everyone’s intentions, and, subsequently, his negative self-assessment.