 Chanteau is unable to get past her resentment, and accuses Pauline of poisoning her when she attempts to nurse her.Though Lazare and Pauline are tacitly engaged, Pauline releases him so that he may marry Louise Thibaudier, a rich banker's daughter who spends her vacations with the Chanteaus.Their marriage is an unhappy one, as his obsessive-compulsive behaviors escalate and he infects her with his fear of death.