In "The Masque of the Red Death," what trait of Prince Prospero is suggested by the setting?

The section of the short story you want to look at is the
second paragraph, which gives us an excellent description of the setting of this story
and also reveals how this reflects Prince Prospero's character. Consider the way in
which Prince Prospero's response to the Red Death is to retire to the "deep seclusion of
one of his castellated abbeys." Note the way that this abbey is described with
particular emphasis placed on its impenetrability:

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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.

Quite clearly, the
Prince and his friends hope to cheat death by locking themselves away from the world and
continuing their hedonistic way of life. Prince Prospero's arrogance and bravery in
trying to cheat death is thus shown, as is his selfishness and his lack of care and
concern for those left on the outside.