# XXXI: Why Don’t You Trust Me? explained — The Cloven Foot > Chapter companion for The Cloven Foot by M. E. Braddon. ## What happens John Treverton, burdened by his past, confesses to Laura that he is actually Chicot, the man suspected of murdering his first wife, Zaïre Chicot. He recounts his descent from a cavalry officer to a penniless Bohemian in Paris, his marriage to the dancer Zaïre, and her descent into intemperance. Laura is devastated by the deception but insists they must reveal the truth to Mr. Clare and Mr. Sampson, forfeiting the estate. ## Themes in this chapter ### Secrets and Deception John's concealment of his identity and past marriage, and the fraudulent nature of his marriage to Laura, are central to the chapter. ### Love and Marriage Laura's love is tested by John's confession; the chapter explores the tension between love and moral integrity. ### Bohemianism vs. Respectability John's past life as a Bohemian artist in Paris contrasts sharply with his current life as a respectable country gentleman. ### Crime and Justice John is suspected of murdering his first wife, and Laura insists on legal and moral rectitude by revealing the fraud. ## Character check-ins ### John Treverton Confesses his identity as Chicot and his past life, including his marriage to Zaïre Chicot and the suspicion of murder. ### Laura Malcolm Learns of her husband's true identity and past, reacts with shame but insists on honesty and restitution. ### Edward Clare Revealed to know John's secret; Laura perceives him as a secret enemy. ### Zaïre Chicot John's first wife, a dancer who died under suspicious circumstances, leading to John being suspected of murder. ### Jasper Treverton John's cousin whose will prompted John's return and the marriage to Laura. ## Key lines > I have committed no crime, Laura, but I have been suspected of the worst of crimes. Do you remember the story of a man whose name was bandied about in the newspapers nearly a year ago; a man whose wife was murdered, and whom some of the London papers plainly denounced as the murderer; the man called Chicot, whose disappearance was one of the social mysteries of the year? John reveals he is the man known as Chicot, suspected of murdering his wife, a case that was widely reported in the press. _John's confession of his identity and the public suspicion against him._ > Do you not see that our first marriage, being really no marriage, was an imposition and a sham—that neither you nor I have a right to a sixpence of Jasper Treverton’s money, or an acre of his land, All is forfeited to the hospital trusts, We have no right to live in this home, We possess nothing but my income. Laura insists that their marriage was invalid because John was already married, meaning they must forfeit the inheritance. _Laura's moral stance on the fraud and its consequences._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xxxi-why-don-t-you-trust-me - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters