# Pierrot explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant. ## What happens Madame Lefèvre, a parsimonious country widow, and her servant Rose decide to get a small dog after their onions are stolen. They acquire a small, odd-looking dog named Pierrot for free. However, when faced with the eight-franc dog tax, they decide to dispose of him by throwing him into a chalk pit used as a cemetery for dogs. After initially feeling remorse and attempting to feed him, they abandon him when they discover another dog has been thrown in and they would have to feed both. ## Themes in this chapter ### Cruelty and Suffering The casual cruelty of disposing of a dog in a chalk pit, the suffering of Pierrot, and the indifference of Madame Lefèvre highlight the theme of cruelty. ### Social Class and Money Madame Lefèvre's extreme parsimony and her prioritization of money over the life of a pet reflect the influence of social class and financial concerns. ## Character check-ins ### Madame Lefèvre A pretentious, miserly country widow who decides to get rid of her dog Pierrot rather than pay the tax, then abandons him in a chalk pit. ### Rose Madame Lefèvre's simple, kind-hearted servant who loves animals and is distressed by Pierrot's fate. ### Pierrot The small, odd-looking dog acquired for free, who is thrown into a chalk pit and ultimately abandoned by his owners. ## Key lines > Madame Lefèvre was a country dame, a widow, one of these half peasants, who wear ribbons and bonnets with lots of trimming, one of those persons who clipped her words and put on great airs in public, concealing the soul of a pretentious animal beneath a comical and bedizened exterior, just as the country-folks hide their coarse red hands in écru silk gloves. Madame Lefèvre is a pretentious country widow who tries to appear refined but is actually miserly and coarse underneath. _Introduces Madame Lefèvre's character and her superficial pretensions._ > Madame Lefèvre declared that she would feed a dog but would not buy one. Madame Lefèvre is willing to feed a dog but refuses to spend money to acquire one. _Highlights her extreme frugality._ > When they came to collect eight francs—eight francs, madame—for this puppy who never even barked, she almost fainted from the shock. The eight-franc dog tax shocks Madame Lefèvre, leading her to decide to get rid of the dog. _The tax is the catalyst for the dog's abandonment._ > Madame Lefèvre leaned over to hear if any animal was moaning. No, there were none there; Pierrot would be alone. Then Rose, who was crying, kissed the dog and threw him into the chalk pit, and they both leaned over, listening. After checking that no other dogs are in the pit, Rose tearfully throws Pierrot in, and they listen to his cries. _The moment of abandonment, showing Rose's reluctance and Madame Lefèvre's coldness._ > I could not feed all the dogs they throw in there! We must give it up. Madame Lefèvre refuses to continue feeding Pierrot because another dog has been thrown in and she would have to feed both. _Final abandonment driven by her stinginess._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/pierrot - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters