# Charles Morel — In Search of Lost Time character guide

> Charles Morel in In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Morel, Charlie, young Morel

**First appearance:** 0019-volume-iv-cities-of-the-plain

## Snapshot

A violinist of genuine talent and bottomless calculation, he trades on the Baron de Charlus's infatuation while scheming to escape every obligation.

## Who they are

Morel, son of a valet, rises through Charlus's patronage into concert halls and grand houses, his bow arm admired even as his morals corrode. Engaged to Jupien's niece yet drawn to crueler pleasures, he oscillates between neurasthenic panic and cold self-interest, dosing himself with morphine when conscience threatens. He matters because his betrayals expose how patronage, art, and desire interlock in the novel's later social world, and how a gifted performer can be, in private, entirely without honor.

## Relationships

### [Baron de Charlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/baron_de_charlus)

_psychological_

Charlus is obsessively, destructively in love with the violinist Morel, who exploits and humiliates him.

### [Baron de Charlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/baron_de_charlus)

_psychological_

Charlus is obsessively, destructively in love with the violinist Morel, who exploits and humiliates him.

### [Baron de Charlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/baron_de_charlus)

_psychological_

Charlus is obsessively, destructively in love with the violinist Morel, who exploits and humiliates him.

## In the story

### [II (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-continued)

Violinist with virtuosity but lacking culture and style; plays a March by Meyerbeer instead of Debussy, causing a chill; receives a generous tip from Charlus.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-iii)

The violinist displays a mix of pride and shame towards M. de Charlus, often treating him with irritation and contempt while valuing his artistic reputation above nobility.

### [II: The Verdurins Quarrel with M. de Charlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-ii-the-verdurins-quarrel-with-m-de-charlus)

Found weeping on a curbstone after insulting Jupien's niece; regrets his cruelty but is also concerned about his health and upcoming performance.

### [II (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-continued)

Performs Vinteuil's septet; his hidden activities and lies about a tour with Léa cause Charlus anxiety.

### [Flight of Albertine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-iii-flight-of-albertine)

Morel is mentioned in the context of Charlus's covert glances during the scene at la Raspelière.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/charles_morel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters