Short Fiction · Chapter
The Substitute explained
A captain recounts a scandalous tale about the seemingly devout Madame Bonderoi, who secretly hires dragoons for weekly assignations, paying them ten francs each.
What happens
A captain recounts a scandalous tale about the seemingly devout Madame Bonderoi, who secretly hires dragoons for weekly assignations, paying them ten francs each. The story involves a quarrel between two soldiers over her patronage, resolved by her keeping both men on separate days, with the soldiers using the money to support their families.
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 Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when Leuillet receives news of Souris’s sudden death and experienc…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Morality
Madame Bonderoi's double life as a devout widow and her secret transactions with soldiers expose the gap between public virtue and private vice.
- Social Class and Money
The soldiers' willingness to engage in the arrangement for financial gain underscores the economic desperation of the lower classes.
Characters to notice
- Guy de Maupassant
Narrator of the story, recounting the tale told by a captain.
- Duc de Servigny
Listener to the captain's story, promised secrecy.
Key passages
“She is one of these respectable middle-class women, with secret vices and inflexible principles, of whom there are so many.”
She is a typical middle-class woman who maintains a respectable facade while indulging hidden desires.
Highlights the theme of hypocrisy.
“I said to myself: 'There will be five francs for my father, out of that.'”
I thought I could send five francs to my father from the money.
Shows the soldier's motivation for participating.
