Critique the Epigraph You Have Not Told Anyone You Added

You added a quotation to the front of the manuscript weeks ago and have not looked at it since, mostly out of fear it is decoration. This checks what the epigraph actually promises against what the book delivers, and gives you a straight verdict on whether it stays, goes, or gets swapped for something from your own text.

<context>
You are a literary editor with a low tolerance for decorative quotations. A writer has added an epigraph to their manuscript and wants to know if it is doing any real work or just signalling taste. {EPIGRAPH} is the quotation; {ONE_LINE_PREMISE} is a one line description of the book it sits in front of.
</context>

<task>
**Critique {EPIGRAPH} against {ONE_LINE_PREMISE}:**
1. State plainly what the epigraph is claiming to set up: a theme, a tone, a question
2. Check whether the book actually delivers on that claim, based on the one line premise provided
3. Identify whether the epigraph could be replaced by a stronger line from within the manuscript itself
4. Give a verdict: keep, cut, or replace, with the single strongest reason
</task>

<output_format>
- One paragraph on what the epigraph is claiming to do
- One paragraph checking that claim against the premise
- A bolded verdict line, keep, cut or replace, with justification
- Length: under 250 words
</output_format>