The Count of Monte Cristo

Narrative of Old Dantès’ Grief, Isolation, and Starvation Death

Caderousse recounts the slow, tragic death of Dantès’ father after his son’s arrest. The elderly man returns home alone from Dantès’ betrothal feast, grief-stricken, refuses all food and sleep, and declines to leave his house in case Dantès is released and returns to find him gone. Mercédès and M. Morrel repeatedly attempt to console him, but he isolates himself further, selling his possessions one by one to pay for basic subsistence. After falling three quarters behind on rent and being granted one final week to pay, he dies of starvation after 9 days of fasting, cursing those responsible for his misery and blessing Edmond as he takes his last breath.

Identification of Fernand and Danglars as Dantès’ Accusers

Caderousse identifies the two men who orchestrated Dantès’ arrest: Fernand, who was jealous of Dantès’ relationship with Mercédès, and Danglars, who resented Dantès’ career advancement. He explains that Danglars wrote the false Bonapartist denunciation letter in his left hand to avoid having his handwriting recognized, while Fernand was the one who mailed the letter to authorities.

Caderousse’s Confession of Complicity in Dantès’ Arrest

Caderousse confesses he was present at La Réserve the night the denunciation letter was written, and the day Dantès was arrested. He claims he was heavily intoxicated during the initial plot and only had a vague understanding of what was happening, as Danglars had assured him the plan was a harmless jest. The next day, when he realized the seriousness of the situation, he wanted to speak up during Dantès’ arrest but was silenced by Danglars, who warned him he could be labeled a Bonapartist accomplice if Dantès was found guilty. Caderousse acknowledges his cowardice for staying silent, says he has lived with remorse for the act ever since, and believes his current destitute state is divine punishment for his selfish inaction.

Account of M. Morrel’s Honesty and Financial Ruin

The Abbé asks about M. Morrel, owner of the Pharaon and Dantès’ patron. Caderousse describes him as an exceptionally honest, courageous man who interceded for Dantès dozens of times, was persecuted as a Bonapartist after the emperor’s return, and cared for Dantès’ father until his death, paying his debts and arranging his proper burial. Caderousse reveals that despite 25 years of honorable work in the Marseilles shipping trade, Morrel is now nearly ruined: he has lost 5 ships in 2 years, suffered bankruptcy from three large trading houses, and his only remaining hope is the Pharaon, which Dantès previously commanded, returning from the Indies with a valuable cargo. Morrel’s family is also suffering: his daughter’s fiancé’s family has withdrawn consent to their marriage due to Morrel’s financial ruin, adding deeply to his distress.

Danglars’ Ascent to Wealth, Baronage, and Court Influence

Caderousse recounts Danglars’ rapid rise to wealth and status after leaving Marseilles. Unaware of his role in Dantès’ arrest, M. Morrel recommended Danglars as a cashier at a Spanish bank. During the war with Spain, Danglars worked in the French army commissariat and built a large fortune, then tripled or quadrupled his capital through stock market speculation. He first married his banker’s daughter, and after she died, married Madame de Nargonne, daughter of the king’s chamberlain who holds high court favor. He was granted the title of baron, now lives in a luxurious residence on the Rue du Mont-Blanc, owns ten horses, six footmen, and holds a vast fortune in his strongbox.

Fernand’s Military Career and Rise to Count and Legion of Honor

Caderousse describes Fernand’s unlikely ascent from a poor, uneducated Catalan fisherman to a high-ranking military noble. Drafted into the army before the emperor’s return, he fought at the Battle of Ligny, where he was stationed as sentry outside the door of a general secretly plotting to defect to the English. Fernand agreed to accompany the general in his desertion. When the Bourbon monarchy was restored, this act was rewarded rather than punished: with the general’s high-level protection, Fernand became a captain by 1823, served in the Spanish war, where he reconnected with Danglars. He used his knowledge of local mountain paths to guide royalist forces through gorges held by enemy combatants, and after the taking of Trocadero, was promoted to colonel, granted the title of count, and made an officer of the Legion of Honor.