We can postulate one of two things: Sade was entirely pleased with this manuscript and saw no reason to make any changes to it or Sade completely gave up on the dialogue and had decided to abandon it. The reason for either of these hypotheses is that the manuscript itself contains almost no trace of Sade’s editing. It is up to the reader to divine whether the “Dialogue between the Priest and a Dying Man” is Sade’s position or not. Either way, it is worth reading even in the very unlikely event that it presents a position Sade would have repudiated. (This may be the case: near the beginning of October 1788, Sade himself made a catalogue of his works, and the “Dialogue” is omitted.)