I read this book once again lately. The first time was at school, but I wanted to read something from French literature and see how the time changed my attitude.
The main idea of the novel is not so important now for me. There are two main characters – the father and his relationships with daughters and a provincial man who wants to make a career in Paris.
But now authorities and relations of society and authorities are of great interest for me. To compare what was before and how it all changed.
So there was an episode with police. A man lived in a house with rented rooms which is the main scene of the novel. And he was a criminal-in-hiding. Police got connected with one of the neighbors (an old maid) to check him and report. For that duty she got 3000 franks (and as far as I understand that was money for maybe month or two month living).
What I would like to make distinguished from that episode:
Importance of reputation
Policemen were afraid to miss and arrest a good person. They wanted to be sure he is a criminal. It is quite a big difference with our times, but then - as far as I understand - police were not so authorized by society to use almost all means to protect people. They were the service just trying to show their importance and value.
Killing while arresting
But nevertheless while making an agreement with old maid police chief told that they hoped not to arrest a criminal but to shoot him while arresting. Since a lot of commune budget is spent for keeping criminals, preparing docs, court issues and so on. So the best way for police to operate is to kill them at once.
That's really incredible now to imagine such a talkative person among policemen to share the intentions of so not-legal kind with an ordinary citizen.
Neighbors' treatment
Neighbors were not happy to hear a criminal is arrested. They didn't think about their own safety to have such person nearby.
Maybe that's a kind of psychological transfer but all their hatred and indignation went to an old maid. And she was told to be not desirable in the house and by the dinner table together. The only man who tried to be on her side was her friend that participated in conversation with police before. And in fact who helped her to find a tattoo of a criminal.
The novel was written in 1835, and the story is supposed to happen in 1819.