Hope remains inside Pandora’s container after the other troubles escape.
In the traditional English retelling, Pandora opens the container and releases the evils or hardships that afflict humanity. Hope remains inside when she closes it. This detail gives the myth its enduringly ambiguous ending: hope can be viewed as a comfort preserved for people, or as something kept away from them.
The Greek word associated with hope is elpis. The exact interpretation is debated because the ancient text and later translations do not make the symbolism completely straightforward. Some readers understand the jar as containing harmful spirits, with hope held back as a benefit; others have argued that hope itself may be part of the problem or may be withheld.
The popular version normally says that hope was the last thing left in the box. It is important not to confuse this with a claim that every ancient source tells the episode identically. Hesiod’s Works and Days is the key surviving literary source for the story.