Chapter 3

This chapter begins with Charlus's letter to Aimé: an example of unilateral insanity in an intelligent man addressing an imbecile endowed with sense. Aimé belongs to a race more ancient than that of the prince, therefore more noble. The chapter then highlights Charlus and Morel's automobile excursions which are usually confined to a lunch or dinner along the coast. Morel, who believes himself to be a thousand times more important than Charlus, completely misunderstands the baron's arrogant information about the aristocracy. The one thing that Morel sets above the nobility is his artistic reputation and what others might think of him in the violin class. The chapter then further elaborates on Charlus's and Brichot's debate on the literary worth of Balzac's novels. It concludes with the Narrator's discussion about his friendship with the Comte de Crécy, a gentleman without means but of extreme distinction.