# XXIII: Justice explained — I Will Repay

> Chapter companion for I Will Repay by Baroness Orczy.

## What happens

The chapter depicts a day at the Revolutionary Tribunal, where Foucquier-Tinville prosecutes prisoners with ruthless efficiency. The hall is filled with a degraded mob, and among the deputies present is Paul Déroulède, whose presence briefly softens the crowd. The accused are brought forth as the proceedings continue.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Revolution

The tribunal's impartiality is a sham: the guillotine falls equally on duke and prostitute, yet the mob's degradation and the elite deputies' presence highlight class divisions.

### Mob Mentality and Populism

The crowd of spectators, including women and children, is depicted as brutish and bloodthirsty, seeking entertainment in the spectacle of trials.

## Character check-ins

### Foucquier-Tinville

The Public Prosecutor, indefatigable and proud of obtaining thirty convictions out of thirty-five indictments.

### Paul Déroulède

Present as a citizen-deputy, sitting with folded arms, his face lit by the lamp; a child recognizes him fondly.

### Citizen Merlin

Minister of Justice, seated among the deputies observing the trial.

### Robespierre

Present, watching with pale eyes and a disdainful smile.

## Key lines

> Out of five and thirty indictments, Foucquier-Tinville had obtained thirty convictions. No wonder his friends declared that he had surpassed himself.

Foucquier-Tinville secured guilty verdicts for thirty out of thirty-five defendants, earning praise from his allies.

_Highlights the prosecutor's efficiency and the tribunal's lack of genuine justice._

> The guillotine was impartial, and fell with equal velocity on the neck of the proud duke and the gutter-born fille de joie, on a descendant of the Bourbons and the wastrel born in a brothel.

The guillotine treated all social classes alike, executing aristocrats and commoners without distinction.

_Ironically underscores the Revolution's claim of equality while condemning its brutal methods._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/i_will_repay_se/chapters/xxiii-justice
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/i_will_repay_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/i_will_repay_se/chapters