I thought he intended to SAVE all those lives but never got there in time, and never learned his lesson, but I am notorious for mis-reading and misunderstanding.
You’d think he’s crazy, locking people up and forgetting about them, but that’s not true. He never meant to do that, he was going to save them, at some point.
To me, that adds all the more horror (and irony) to the story.
And this!
... it’s his fate, his punishment if you want, to wander the halls and face all the ghosts. He can never be free, like they were never set free and whose fault is it?
Eerie story, well written, with wit and dark humor--and surely one that took more than 5 minutes to write, edit, and post--I apprpove! #LoveIt!

I was already nominating it for @Freewritehouse Friday Favorites before I noticed you'd won @curie's attention as well. Congratulations!