Louis

Louis (lwee), a dying lawyer who comes to realize that his heart is a knot of vipers. Intelligent, cunning, greedy, unscrupulous, and incapable of love, Louis—as death approaches—writes a letter to be left to his wife. The letter, intended to explain his hatred for her and their children, becomes a diary of his dying days, a record of his life, and functionally an autobiography; ultimately, it becomes a confession of his spiritual journey to Christianity. The document rambles but is always coherent and organized as it records his unhappiness as a miser. In writing it, Louis comes to see his own selfish and evil nature, and he is transformed.

Isa Fondaudège

Isa Fondaudège (ee-SAH fon-doh-DEHZH), Louis’ wife. Self-sacrificing to Louis and the children, Isa is a remarkably strong person in dealing with such a serpent as her husband. She lives with him by honoring the rule of not having conversation with him about anything important, by being subservient, and by being devoted to the Catholic church and her children. Stable, steady, and always dependable, she never does anything unpredictable in her life, except to shock everyone by dying before Louis.

Hubert

Hubert (ew-BEHR), Louis’ son, a stockbroker by trade. Cunning, greedy, and unscrupulous, Hubert is a nearly exact replication of his father, though perhaps not quite as smart. His main activity is to prevent Louis from disinheriting Hubert and his sister, and toward that end he contacts Robert, Louis’ illegitimate son, and brings his half brother under his influence. These attempts are discovered by Louis, however, and they are ended. At the end, Hubert reads his father’s letter only to fail to comprehend it, and he is left filling his father’s shoes.

Geneviève

Geneviève (zheh-neh-VYEHV), Louis’ daughter. Geneviève is Hubert’s female counterpart. She helps her brother plot against their father and is one of the little vipers in this family of serpents.

Janine

Janine, Louis’ granddaughter, Geneviève’s daughter. At twenty-two years of age, she is the only member of the family who comes to understand Louis and accept him. As a devout Christian, she forgives Phili, her husband, when he runs off with a music teacher. The family puts her in a nursing home, from which she escapes to be with Louis for the last three weeks of his life.

Robert

Robert, Louis’ illegitimate son. A harmless store clerk by profession, Robert is too stupid to take Louis’ money when it is offered to him as a revenge on Louis’ legitimate children and heirs. Louis makes a lifetime settlement on him anyway, much to the dismay of Hubert and Geneviève.

Luc

Luc (lewk) and

Marie

Marie, two other children of Louis and Isa. This brother and sister died in their youth; thus, as Louis thinks back on his life, he believes that he really had loved these two. In fact, he had sent Luc off to war to die, and Marie had died, it is suggested, because when she fell ill, Louis had her treated by a cheap practitioner rather than an expensive specialist.

Louis, the narrator-protagonist, writes his diary in an effort to escape solitude. He confesses to hatred, infidelity, and love of money in a desperate attempt to find sympathy and understanding. In the process of explaining or justifying himself, he documents those virtuous acts which have gone unnoticed and provide evidence for a more positive definition of his character. He views himself as the victim and the enemy, only to discover that other family members play the same roles. His lucidity and his...