# Monsieur Walter — Bel Ami character guide

> Monsieur Walter in Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Walter, Daddy Walter

**First appearance:** 0001-ii

## Snapshot

The shrewd proprietor of La Vie Française, a Jewish financier whose wealth and colonial speculations make him both a kingmaker and a target in the novel's Paris.

## Who they are

Monsieur Walter built his fortune in the unglamorous machinery of finance and now presides over a newspaper that manufactures opinion as efficiently as it manufactures money. He is generous with his table and his capital, but his generosity is always an investment, and his daughters' marriages are moves on the same board as his Moroccan ventures. Around him the novel's anti-Semitism surfaces in the mouths of his guests, even as his money underwrites their careers, making him a study in the hypocrisy of the society that uses him.

## Relationships

### [George Duroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/characters/george_duroy)

_professional_

Monsieur Walter is George's boss and newspaper owner, who promotes him but is ultimately deceived by George's seduction of his daughter.

### [George Duroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/characters/george_duroy)

_professional_

Monsieur Walter is George's boss and newspaper owner, who promotes him but is ultimately deceived by George's seduction of his daughter.

### [George Duroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/characters/george_duroy)

_professional_

Monsieur Walter is George's boss and newspaper owner, who promotes him but is ultimately deceived by George's seduction of his daughter.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/i)

The manager of the newspaper, mentioned as a guest expected at Forestier's dinner.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/ii)

Owner of La Vie Française, impressed by Duroy's talk, offers him a position and asks for articles on Algeria.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/iii)

The newspaper manager who assigned Duroy the article; Duroy tries to meet with him.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/iv)

Rejects Duroy's second article, showing his authority as the newspaper's owner and his focus on quality and business.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/v)

Duroy borrows money from Walter's messenger, showing his desperate financial state and his connection to the newspaper.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/vi)

Appoints Duroy as chief of the reporting staff, recognizing his cunning and skill.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/vii)

Tells Duroy he cannot back out of the duel.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/viii)

The governor of the newspaper, he grumblingly grants Duroy permission to leave for Cannes, reminding him he is indispensable.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/ix)

Mentioned as part of the newspaper staff and social circle.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/x)

Congratulates George on the article and entrusts him with political editorship of La Vie Française.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xii)

The manager of La Vie Française, he is excited by the political changes and commissions Duroy to write a sensational article on Morocco.

### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xiii)

Mentioned as the mastermind behind the secret purchase of the Morocco loan, and as someone who advised against telling Duroy.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xv)

The wealthy host, having made millions from the Morocco loan and mines, now displaying his new mansion and masterpiece to Parisian society.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xvi)

Learns of Duroy's plan to expose Laroche-Mathieu and agrees to let him write the article.

### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xvii)

Pragmatic and resigned, he decides to accept the marriage to avoid scandal.

### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/chapters/xviii)

The father of the bride, who gives her away. He is described as walking with exaggerated dignity and is noted to have given in to Duroy's threats.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/characters/monsieur_walter
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bel_ami_se/characters