# The Substitute explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

## What happens

A captain recounts a scandalous tale about the seemingly devout Madame Bonderoi, who secretly hires dragoons for weekly assignations, paying them ten francs each. The story involves a quarrel between two soldiers over her patronage, resolved by her keeping both men on separate days, with the soldiers using the money to support their families.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Morality

Madame Bonderoi's double life as a devout widow and her secret transactions with soldiers expose the gap between public virtue and private vice.

### Social Class and Money

The soldiers' willingness to engage in the arrangement for financial gain underscores the economic desperation of the lower classes.

## Character check-ins

### Guy de Maupassant

Narrator of the story, recounting the tale told by a captain.

### Duc de Servigny

Listener to the captain's story, promised secrecy.

## Key lines

> She is one of these respectable middle-class women, with secret vices and inflexible principles, of whom there are so many.

She is a typical middle-class woman who maintains a respectable facade while indulging hidden desires.

_Highlights the theme of hypocrisy._

> I said to myself: 'There will be five francs for my father, out of that.'

I thought I could send five francs to my father from the money.

_Shows the soldier's motivation for participating._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-substitute
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters