In the Pandora myth, hope remains inside the container after the evils escape. Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Pandora closes the lid before Hope can leave, making it the final presence associated with the jar.
The Greek name for hope is Elpis. Interpreters have long debated what it means for hope to remain inside rather than escape with the evils. Some read the detail as a reassurance that hope is preserved for humanity; others note that the text can suggest hope is withheld or kept contained. The myth itself does not settle the interpretation in a single explicit moral.
Modern retellings often say that “hope was left behind,” usually presenting this as a positive ending. That reading is widespread, but ancient discussions and modern scholars have considered both optimistic and darker possibilities. The phrase “Pandora’s box” therefore carries a more complicated ending than the common summary that every evil simply flew into the world.