# IX: Obverse and Reverse explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant. ## What happens Doctor Heraclius Gloss, elated by his discovery of metempsychosis, attempts to share his doctrine but faces mockery from the Dean and the Warden, who ridicule his beliefs with absurd animal genealogies. ## Themes in this chapter ### Obsession and Delusion Heraclius's jubilant fixation on metempsychosis and his attempts to see past lives in his dog illustrate his obsessive delusion. ### Illusion vs. Reality The contrast between Heraclius's perceived revelation and the Warden's mocking reinterpretations highlights the tension between belief and mockery. ## Character check-ins ### Doctor Heraclius Gloss Revels in his discovery of metempsychosis, tries to convert others, and is annoyed by the Dean's skepticism and the Warden's jests. ## Key lines > He made his dog sit at table beside him, and in solemn tête-à-têtes before the fire sought to discover in the eye of the innocent beast the mystery of its previous existences. He had his dog join him at the table and, in serious conversations by the fire, tried to read the secrets of its past lives in its eyes. _Illustrates Heraclius's obsessive attempt to apply his theory to everyday life._ > No sooner did the Doctor begin to expound his faith than the diabolical Warden instantly agreed with him; he pretended he was an adept listening to the words of a great apostle and he invented the most unlikely animal genealogies for every person of their mutual acquaintance. As soon as the Doctor started explaining his beliefs, the mischievous Warden would feign agreement and concoct absurd animal ancestries for everyone they knew. _Shows the Warden's mocking resistance to Heraclius's doctrine._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ix-obverse-and-reverse - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters