# The Donkey explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant. ## What happens Two junk-gatherers, Labouise and Maillochon, poach and torture a donkey for sport, eventually killing it by shooting it in the mouth. They then deceive a wine shop owner into buying the carcass as if it were a deer, pocketing twenty francs. ## Themes in this chapter ### Cruelty and Suffering The deliberate, prolonged torture of the donkey by Labouise and Maillochon exemplifies wanton cruelty for entertainment. ### Social Class and Money The men's poverty drives them to poach and deceive, and they value the donkey only for its potential monetary gain, selling its carcass for twenty francs. ## Character check-ins ### Labouise A junk-gatherer and poacher who tortures and kills a donkey for amusement, then tricks an innkeeper into buying the carcass. ### Maillochon Labouise's partner in poaching; he participates in the donkey's torture and shares in the deception. ## Key lines > Labouise, in great humour, got the gun and held it out to Maillochon, saying: 'Each one in turn; we're going after big game, kid. Don't get so near or you'll kill it right off! You must make the pleasure last a little.' Labouise cheerfully handed the gun to Maillochon, instructing him to shoot from a distance to prolong the donkey's suffering for their amusement. _Highlights the men's deliberate cruelty and their view of the donkey as a plaything._ > Labouise stretched out his hand, exclaiming: 'No, it's not that! It's not a buck. I should have seen the horns. No, it's not a buck!' Labouise insisted the animal was not a buck, claiming he would have noticed antlers, to maintain the deception about the donkey's identity. _Shows the men's cunning in deceiving the innkeeper for profit._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-donkey - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters