The Counterfeiters · Character

Monsieur Profitendieu

A magistrate whose magisterial calm cracks the moment his son Bernard writes to say he is not his son at all.

supporting

Also known as Profitendieu, Monsieur Profitendieu

As a supporting figure in The Counterfeiters, Monsieur Profitendieu is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Bernard's legal father, whose authority is undermined by the revelation of Bernard's true parentage.

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Monsieur Profitendieu runs his household and his court with the same unbending sense of superiority, until Bernard's letter — announcing that he knows he is a bastard and is leaving — reduces him to stamping his foot and weeping before Edouard. The counterfeit-coin case brings him to Edouard's door ostensibly to warn young George, but his real errand is to speak of Bernard, whose desertion has unmade him. His restrained grief, all the more sincere because it was never obligatory, forces the novel's central question: whether Bernard was right to go.

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See Monsieur Profitendieu in ii the profitendieus

Character Web

11 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Extended Family and Acquaintances
Counterfeiting Scheme Associates
Vedel Pension Circle

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this chapter, Edouard articulates the "deep-lying subject" of his novel—the rivalry between reality and rep…

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In the story

Monsieur Profitendieu appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Counterfeiters
Bernard's legal father, whose authority is undermined by the revelation of Bernard's true parentage.
VI: Bernard Awakens
Bernard's legal father; Bernard reflects on hating him and the relief of discovering he is not his biological father.
Bernard and Laura
Mentioned as Bernard's adoptive father who showed him predilection; Bernard considers asking his forgiveness.
I: Edouard’s Journal: Oscar Molinier
Colleague of Molinier; Bernard's legal father, upset by Bernard's departure and involved in the tea shop investigation.
XIII: Edouard’s Journal: Douviers’ Profitendieu
Visits Edouard; speaks of Bernard’s brilliance, his wife’s departure, and his love for Bernard; also warns about George Molinier’s involvement in counterfeiting.
XV: Bernard Visits Edouard
Mentioned as having visited Edouard to ask Bernard to return home.
XX: Edouard's Journal
Invites Edouard to dinner; is unwell, prompting Bernard's return.

Chapter companion notes

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See Monsieur Profitendieu in ii the profitendieus

See Monsieur Profitendieu in The Counterfeiters