Short Fiction · Character

Césaire Houlbrèque

A sailor who returns from the sea to find his household rearranged, his affections tested, and his old life quietly gone.

supporting

Also known as Césaire, Houlbrèque

First appearance: short fiction

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Césaire Houlbrèque is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referred to as Maître Césaire Omont, a stout, jovial widower who hires Adélaïde as a servant and later marries her.

In the storyThe Wooden ShoesOpen this moment free

Césaire Houlbrèque is a seafaring man whose long absences have left his home in the hands of others. He comes back expecting warmth and familiarity, but finds that time, habit, and other people's needs have reshaped the life he left behind. His bewilderment and slow reckoning with change give the story its melancholy, salt-tinged weight.

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Character Web

12 connections

A slice of how Césaire Houlbrèque sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Return and Entanglement
Eccentricity and Obsession
Social Hypocrisy and Class

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when Leuillet receives news of Souris’s sudden death and experienc…

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In the story

Césaire Houlbrèque appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Wooden Shoes
Referred to as Maître Césaire Omont, a stout, jovial widower who hires Adélaïde as a servant and later marries her.
Saint Anthony
A neighbor to whom Saint Anthony jokingly offers to sell his 'pig' for thirty francs.
The String
The man from Manneville to whom the lost pocketbook is returned by Marius Paumelle.
A Sale
Defendant Brument, a pig breeder, who drunkenly conspires to sell his wife by the cubic meter.
For Sale
The servant who answers the door and tells the story of her master and the missing woman.
II
Referred to as Césaire Paumelle, a quiet friend who visits Toine daily to play dominoes.
Mister Belhomme's Beast
The driver of the stagecoach, nicknamed 'Foxy,' a corpulent, agile man who helps remove the flea and later argues with Belhomme over the fare.
I
Determined to marry Céleste Lévesque despite his father's opposition; seeks the priest's help and is relieved when the priest succeeds.
II
Dies after a prolonged illness, leaving his wife Céleste a widow.
Hautot and His Son
The son of Hautot, who inherits his father's wealth and is tasked with visiting and supporting his father's mistress, leading to an unexpected attraction.
II
César Hautot, the son, who carries out his father's last request and meets his half-brother.

Chapter companion notes

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See Césaire Houlbrèque in short fiction

See Césaire Houlbrèque in The Wooden Shoes