Linked List in Java (Garbage Collection)
Yes, in theory.  That depends on when the garbage collector decides to run.  (There are lots of great explanations about how finicky it is on Stack Overflow.)  But it will become eligible for garbage collection and is gone for all intents and purposes.  Data becomes eligible for garbage collection when no references to it exist, and, assuming node_at(length-1).next is the only reference to it, the Node then qualifies once you change that reference.