"Close fitting, high-heeled boots of fine quality incased his feet, in whose shapeliness he felt a pardonable pride; for a young man's excellence was often measured in the circle which he had frequented, by the possession of such a foot.’’
In the third chapter, Grégoire is introduced and described for the first time. The way he looks is presented in great detail in this chapter and while he does not stand out because of his physique, he is described as being a great dresser, having exquisite clothes. The quote from above is taken in relation with him and the way he was dressed. The general idea transmitted is that Grégoire was accepted in the high circles because of the things he owned. However, while he was rich, he is described as having a none too pleasant personality, being either too soft of too harsh, depending on the people he was interacting with.
"Don't you think, that we make too much of our individual trials. We are all so prone to believe our own burden heavier than our neighbor's."
In the seventh chapter, Hosmer’s sister talks about her brother and the problems he had to face in his life. She praises him because Hosmer took care of her after their parents died while also building a career for himself. Mrs. Lafirme feels as if Hosmer’s sister is amplifying his quests and tells his sister so, using the quote from above. The idea transmitted through this quote is that a person will always disregard the challenges a person faced in their life because we have the tendency to believe our life to be the hardest. This is the result of individualism according to Mrs. Lafirme, a practice which pushes a person to put its own good above everything else and above everyone else.
"There are some prejudices which a woman can't afford to part with, Mr. Hosmer, even at the price of happiness.’’
After telling Mrs. Lafirme about the reason why he divorced his first wife, she asked her opinion about whether she thought a person had the right to be happy and do everything he can to be happy. Her response proves that she does not think that a man is free to do whatever he wants just for the sake of happiness. Religion plays an important role in this because it promotes the idea that suffering is the way through which a person can reach heaven. Pleasure, on the other hand, only degrades the soul. Because of this, Mrs. Lafirme claims there are some things she can’t accept, mainly because her religious upbringing prevents her from doing so.
