File No. 113 · Chapter
Chapter XX explained
Raoul and Clameran successfully steal 350,000 francs from the Fauvel safe, with Raoul manipulating his mother, Mme.
What happens
Raoul and Clameran successfully steal 350,000 francs from the Fauvel safe, with Raoul manipulating his mother, Mme. Fauvel, into revealing the key's location under the pretense of suicide. After the theft, Raoul is wracked with remorse but is restrained by Clameran's threats and promises. Clameran celebrates, seeing the money as securing his marriage to Madeleine, while Raoul vows never to commit such a crime again.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Raoul feigns suicidal despair to manipulate Mme. Fauvel into revealing the safe key, while Clameran presents the stolen money as a 'souvenir' to mask their crime.
Family and Honor
Raoul's manipulation of his mother and the theft from the family safe destroy the Fauvel family's honor, with Mme. Fauvel's despair symbolizing the collapse of familial trust.
Crime and Justice
The theft is executed without immediate legal consequence, and Raoul and Clameran plan to let Prosper take the blame, subverting justice.
Characters to notice
- Raoul de Lagors
Executes the theft from the safe after manipulating his mother, then expresses remorse but is coerced by Clameran to continue.
- Marquis de Clameran
Orchestrates the theft, eagerly counts the money, and declares Madeleine is now his, showing no remorse.
- Mme. Fauvel
Manipulated by Raoul into revealing the safe key, she is left devastated and nearly catatonic after the theft.
- Prosper Bertomy
Falsely implicated by Raoul as a potential thief to deflect suspicion from himself.
- Madeleine
Referenced as the object of Clameran's desire; her marriage to Clameran is the condition for Raoul's full payment.
Key passages
“I forbid you ever to allude to this evening's work... I wish to forget it.”
Raoul angrily commands Clameran never to mention the theft again, wanting to erase it from memory.
Shows Raoul's immediate remorse and attempt to distance himself from the crime.
“Now Madeleine is mine!”
Clameran exclaims that the stolen money ensures he can marry Madeleine.
Highlights Clameran's primary motive and his cold calculation.
“Raoul, my son, you have killed me.”
Mme. Fauvel tells Raoul that his actions have destroyed her, both emotionally and possibly physically.
Captures the devastating impact of the theft on Mme. Fauvel's well-being.
“This is the price of the happiness, honor, and perhaps the life of three people.”
Raoul throws the banknotes on the table, declaring they represent the ruin of several lives.
Reveals Raoul's awareness of the broader consequences of their crime.