The events that help develop the theme of perception versus reality in the text are:
- Gortsby believes that the absence of a bar of soap means that the young man’s story is untrue.
- Gortsby finds the soap and concludes that the young man’s story was true.
- Gortsby interprets the man’s actions as a performance intended to create sympathy.
These selections illustrate how Gortsby's perceptions shift based on his observations, highlighting the contrast between what he believes and the reality of the situation.