Focusing on the point of individual vs. societal justice, we can look at Hop-Frog as an example of the contrast these two have. In the story, what Hop-Frog constitutes to be just--torturing the king who has wronged him--is different from what is universally just in a society. Morally, killing someone regardless is unjust, and therefore there is a difference here between societal and individual desires. Additionally in Hop-Frog, we see that the King's vision of what is just is much different than Hop-Frog's. While the King believes he is joking around and having fun, Hop-Frog feels he has been wronged and harmed. The King's perspective is described in the beginning of the story, where Poe writes, "He seemed to live only for joking...Whether people grow fat by joking, or whether there is something in fat itself which predisposes to a joke, I have never been able to determine". In questioning the King's perspective, Poe is emphasizing that each individual has their own beliefs, which makes it somewhat difficult to come to a consensus on what is right vs. wrong. While Hop-Frog has obviously been harmed in his eyes, the King believes that he is simply fulfilling his role as a jester.
