Germinie Lacerteux · Chapter
XL explained
Germinie refuses Jupillon's request for money, confessing she stole twenty francs from Mademoiselle and pawned her belongings.
What happens
Germinie refuses Jupillon's request for money, confessing she stole twenty francs from Mademoiselle and pawned her belongings. She later visits Jupillon's apartment and finds his cousin there, who rudely turns her away, confirming her fears of betrayal.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Germinie's double…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Obsession
Germinie's desperate love for Jupillon drives her to theft and humiliation.
- Hypocrisy and Secrecy
Germinie hides her theft from Mademoiselle while Jupillon's cousin reveals his duplicity.
Characters to notice
- Germinie Lacerteux
Refuses Jupillon's request for money, confesses theft, and is humiliated by Jupillon's cousin.
- Madame Jupillon
Referred to as Jupillon; Germinie's lover who pressures her for money.
- Mademoiselle de Varandeuil
Germinie stole twenty francs from her box.
- Cousin
Jupillon's cousin who is at home in his apartment and turns Germinie away.
Key passages
“No—not this time, no,” said Germinie, rising from the foot of Jupillon’s bed where she was sitting. “There’s no way. Why, you know perfectly well that I haven’t a sou—anything you can call a sou!”
Germinie refuses Jupillon's request for money, insisting she is completely broke.
Germinie's financial desperation is revealed.
“I took them out of mademoiselle’s box! I’ve put them back. But that’s done with. I don’t want any more of that kind of thing.”
Germinie confesses she stole twenty francs from Mademoiselle's box but returned them, vowing never to steal again.
Germinie admits to theft and expresses remorse.
“When the hens have teeth,” said the girl, seriously, and shut the door in her face.”
Jupillon's cousin rudely tells Germinie that Jupillon will never return and slams the door.
Germinie is humiliated and rejected by Jupillon's cousin.
