Civil death

From the play by Paolo Giacometti, pacchia of all philodramas. The protagonist is a painter in a bad way who in a fit of rage preemptively kills his brother-in-law. He is convicted and his family is cared for by a doctor friend. After a few years the condemned man regains his freedom, goes in search of his loved ones, but finds that by now the doctor has taken his place in the scale of affection. Distraught, the poor man commits suicide.