# Prologue explained — The Phantom of the Opera > Chapter companion for The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. ## What happens The narrator, Gaston Leroux, asserts that the Opera Ghost truly existed in flesh and blood, not merely as a superstition. He describes his investigation into the archives of the National Academy of Music, uncovering coincidences between ghostly phenomena and the tragic Chagny case involving Christine Daaé, the Vicomte de Chagny, and Count Philippe. After meeting the examining magistrate M. Faure and the Persian, who provides proof of the ghost's existence, Leroux becomes convinced. He thanks various witnesses and acknowledges the discovery of a corpse later identified as the Opera ghost. ## Themes in this chapter ### Superstition and Rationality The narrator contrasts the superstitious beliefs of artists and managers with his rational investigation, ultimately proving the ghost's real existence. ### Deception and Secrecy The ghost's true nature is hidden behind legend; the narrator uncovers secrets through archives, witness testimony, and hidden correspondence. ### Appearance vs. Reality The ghost appears as a spectral shade but is actually a flesh-and-blood being; the narrator reveals the reality behind the supernatural appearance. ## Character check-ins ### Erik Referred to as the Opera ghost; the narrator confirms his real existence and later identifies a discovered corpse as his. ### Christine Daaé Mentioned in connection with the kidnapping and the strange correspondence that the Persian provides to the narrator. ### Raoul de Chagny The Vicomte de Chagny, whose disappearance is part of the tragic story investigated by the narrator. ### Comte de Chagny Count Philippe, Raoul's elder brother, whose body was found on the bank of the lake in the Opera cellars. ### The Persian A key witness who provides the narrator with proof of the ghost's existence, including Christine Daaé's correspondence. ### M. Faure The examining magistrate in the Chagny case, who recounts the case to the narrator and dismisses the ghost as irrelevant. ## Key lines > The Opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloakroom attendants or the concierge. The Opera ghost was a real being, not a figment of anyone's imagination or superstition. _The narrator establishes the central claim of the book: the ghost's literal existence._ > I soon conceived the idea that this tragedy might reasonably be explained by the phenomena in question. I began to think that the ghostly events could logically account for the tragic story. _The narrator connects the ghost phenomena to the Chagny tragedy._ > I was at once able to prove that this corpse was that of the Opera ghost. I immediately confirmed that the discovered body belonged to the Opera ghost. _The narrator identifies the unearthed corpse as the ghost's, concluding his investigation._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/prologue - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters