#Pride Comes Before The Fall

In this criminal underworld, one man is king: Marcellus Wallace, whose gravelly voice warns Butch to not let pride ruin his shot at happiness. He pays Butch to fake a loss in his last boxing match, and notes that his pride will sting but that ignoring that sting will be worth it in the end. He also instructs hitman Vincent Vega and his partner Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) to retrieve his briefcase from a cadre of young criminals, and asks Vincent to watch over his wife Mia (Uma Thurman) while he’s out of town. Without Marcellus, the rest of the stories never happen. He acts as the devil in this allegory, a man who tempts his underlings with promises of wealth and power. 

In order to maintain his power, Marcellus has to appear impervious to all danger. He has to seem like an unstoppable force that cannot be challenged, which is likely why he threw Tony Rocky Horror out of a window. (This is never shown but discussed at length, and like Mia says, in the end, the whole thing is between Tony and Marcellus.) After Butch fails to throw the fight, kills his opponent, and goes on the run, Marcellus plans to kill him. Instead, the two end up captured by a pair of pawn-shop owning redneck rapists. Butch manages to escape, and instead of fleeing, he goes back to save Marcellus. 

Marcellus has been brought low in almost every way imaginable, but if both he and Butch swallow their pride and go their separate ways, they can still make something good out of a terrible situation. The only witnesses to Marcellus’ horrific experience are going to be dead, save Butch, and it would be wrong to kill the man who saved you when he could have run instead. Marcellus lets Butch live as long as he never returns to California, and in return, Marcellus gets to remain an untouched, impervious king of his domain.