# LVII explained — Germinie Lacerteux

> Chapter companion for Germinie Lacerteux by Edmond de Goncourt.

## What happens

Germinie waits outside Jupillon's lodgings on a cold November night, listening to him carouse with her rival, the cousin. She endures the rain and cold, unable to leave, until morning.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Obsession

Germinie's obsessive love drives her to stand for hours in the rain, unable to leave despite the pain.

### Female Suffering and Sacrifice

Germinie endures physical discomfort and emotional torment, sacrificing her well-being for a glimpse of Jupillon.

## Character check-ins

### Germinie Lacerteux

Stands vigil outside Jupillon's home, listening to him with the cousin, suffering in the rain.

### Madame Jupillon

Implicitly present as Jupillon's mother; the scene centers on Jupillon's lodgings.

### Cousin

The woman Germinie hates; she is inside with Jupillon, singing and laughing.

## Key lines

> She glued her ear to the shutter, breathing in what they said, absorbed in the torture of listening to them, pasturing her famished heart upon suffering.

She pressed her ear to the shutter, drinking in their words, lost in the agony of eavesdropping, feeding her starving heart on pain.

_Highlights Germinie's masochistic devotion._

> She did not feel the cold or rain. All her senses were engaged in listening.

She was oblivious to the cold and rain, her entire focus on listening.

_Emphasizes her trance-like obsession._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se/chapters/lvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se/chapters