How does the description of the abbey in the second paragraph of "The Masque of the Red Death" contribute to the meaning of the text?

In the second paragraph of the story, Poe gives us a vivid description of the castellated abbey in which Prince Prospero and the other nobles hide from the devastating plague that stalks the land.

A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within.

The abbey is a pretty solid structure designed to keep out the raging pestilence. But it is also constructed to make absolutely certain that no one can escape. Right from the outset, Poe sets the tone of what is to follow. The abbey is not really a place of safety; it is a dark prison in which Prince Prospero and his guests are to be trapped.

The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure.

The contemptuous attitude of the nobility towards the people is laid bare. To hell with the outside world, we're perfectly safe inside here. Forget about the appalling death and suffering outside; let's just entertain and enjoy ourselves.
But as the abbey has been described, it's far from being a pleasure palace. Not only is it a prison, it's also a tomb. Prince Prospero and his effete aristocrat friends can try to put off death for only so long. And when the end finally comes they are in the right place for it.

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