The Slaves of Paris · Chapter
Putting on the Screw explained
Paul Violaine returns to his attic in the Hotel de Perou after a failed day of seeking employment, revealing his destitution to his companion Rose.
What happens
Paul Violaine returns to his attic in the Hotel de Perou after a failed day of seeking employment, revealing his destitution to his companion Rose. Their desperate financial situation is laid bare as they quarrel over what to do. Their neighbor, Daddy Tantaine, overhears their argument and enters their room, offering unexpected assistance. He gives Paul a card with the name 'Mascarin' and promises to help him find work. After Tantaine leaves, Paul and Rose celebrate their newfound hope, while Tantaine pays his rent to Madame Loupins, flashes banknotes, and then visits the grocer Melusin, revealing a more assertive side to his character.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrecy
Daddy Tantaine conceals his true wealth and intentions behind a facade of poverty, listening in on Paul and Rose's private conversation before revealing his help.
Social Class and Inequality
The contrast between Paul's aristocratic bearing and his abject poverty, and Tantaine's hidden wealth, highlights the fluidity and hypocrisy of social class.
Power and Manipulation
Tantaine uses his knowledge of the couple's desperation to insert himself into their lives, offering help on his own terms and setting the stage for future control.
Characters to notice
- Paul Violaine
Returns to his attic after a failed day of job-seeking; is desperate, proud, and physically exhausted; accepts help from Daddy Tantaine.
- Little Rose
Paul's companion; sharp-tongued and pragmatic; she jeers at Tantaine after he leaves but is relieved by the money he provides.
- Daddy Tantaine
The shabby, seemingly poor neighbor who overhears the couple's quarrel, offers help, gives Paul a card for Mascarin, and later reveals hidden wealth.
- Madame Loupins
The landlady of the Hotel de Perou; Tantaine pays his rent to her and shows her banknotes.
- Melusin
A grocer in the Rue de Petit Pont; Tantaine visits his shop at the end of the chapter.
Key passages
“They flaunt their rags and tatters in the eyes of the world, and with saddened hearts and empty stomachs utter the boast, 'I am an honest man.'”
Rose mocks those who take pride in their honesty while suffering in poverty, implying that such pride is foolish.
Rose's cynical view of virtue in the face of destitution.
“Laugh while you can, my dears! for this may be the last time you will do so.”
Tantaine mutters ominously after leaving Paul and Rose, suggesting their joy will be short-lived.
Foreshadows the manipulative nature of Tantaine's 'help.'
“The coin that passes around in this infernal town is indeed nothing but idle words, and that is all that poverty-stricken talent can expect.”
Paul laments that in Paris, promises are worthless and talent without money gets nothing.
Paul's despair at the city's indifference to his abilities.