Part 7/8:
Ultimately, Denethor’s despair culminated in a tragic climax. Facing the horrors of war and convinced of his own failure as a leader and father, he chose death over confronting his reality, taking Faramir perilously close to the brink with him. Gandalf’s intervention, urging Denethor to refrain from pursuing his self-destructive desires, came too late to mend the already fractured relationship.