# Decorated! explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant. ## What happens Monsieur Sacrement has been obsessed since childhood with obtaining the Legion of Honour. Despite his lack of qualifications, he pursues the decoration through pamphlets, applications, and the help of Deputy Rosselin. Returning home unexpectedly, he finds a new overcoat with the rosette already sewn in, and his wife reveals that Rosselin has secretly secured the honor for him. ## Themes in this chapter ### Obsession and Delusion Monsieur Sacrement's single-minded pursuit of the Legion of Honour from childhood to adulthood, counting decorated men on the streets and feeling jealous rage, illustrates an all-consuming delusion. ### Social Class and Money Sacrement's wealth allows him to marry well and live in Paris, yet his lack of academic success and reliance on a Deputy's favor highlight how social standing and money alone cannot guarantee official honors. ### Illusion vs. Reality The decoration is obtained through secret manipulation rather than genuine service, and Sacrement's joy is based on the illusion of merit; the overcoat with the rosette symbolizes the gap between appearance and truth. ## Character check-ins ### Monsieur Sacrement Protagonist whose lifelong obsession with being decorated drives the plot; he is ecstatic when he learns he has secretly been awarded the Legion of Honour. ### Madame Sacrement Monsieur Sacrement's wife; she arranges with Deputy Rosselin to obtain the decoration for her husband and surprises him with the decorated overcoat. ### Rosselin Deputy who uses his influence to secure the Legion of Honour for Monsieur Sacrement, though his own qualifications for the decoration are unclear. ## Key lines > Some people are born with a predominant instinct, with some vocation or some desire aroused, from the very moment they begin to speak or to think. Ever since he was a child Monsieur Sacrement had only had one idea in his head⁠—to be decorated. From earliest childhood, Monsieur Sacrement was consumed by a single ambition: to receive a decoration. _Establishes the lifelong obsession that drives the protagonist._ > When he met any men who were decorated on the Boulevards, he looked at them askance, with intense jealousy. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do in the afternoon, he would count them, and say to himself: “Just let me see how many I shall meet between the Madeleine and the Rue Drouot.” He would jealously count the decorated men he encountered on the Boulevards, tallying them between specific landmarks. _Illustrates the depth of his fixation and envy._ > Then she almost screamed at him: “Yes it does; listen⁠—swear to me⁠—well⁠—you are decorated.” She did not intend to joke at his expense. He was so overcome that he let the overcoat fall, and dropped into an armchair. His wife revealed that the overcoat was his and that he had indeed been decorated, leaving him stunned and overwhelmed with joy. _Climactic moment where the secret is revealed and Sacrement's dream comes true._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/decorated - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters