The Count of Monte Cristo

Morcerf Praises the Count and Recounts His Roman Bandit Kidnapping

Morcerf praises the count, noting he had introduced him to his friends as a real-life Arabian Nights enchanter before his arrival, and laments that Parisians dismiss even incontrovertible truths that fall outside their everyday experience, such as the existence of organized bandits in the Italian countryside. He shares that he was kidnapped by Roman bandits during a prior trip, held for a 4,000 piaster ransom, and would have been killed had the count not intervened to secure his release. He notes the signed ransom letter from bandit leader Luigi Vampa is still in Franz d’Épinay’s possession, and he remains amazed by the respect the count inspired in the notoriously ruthless bandits.

Count Explains His Connection to Bandit Leader Vampa

The count explains he has known Vampa for over 10 years, first meeting him as a child shepherd to whom he gave gold pieces for directions; Vampa repaid him with a hand-carved poniard that the count still keeps in his personal arms collection. Years later, when Vampa had become a bandit leader, he tried to capture the count, but the count captured Vampa and a dozen of his men instead. He chose not to hand them over to Roman authorities, releasing them on the simple condition that they and their band respect him and his friends. He adds that he does not feel obligated to protect a society that does not protect him, and sees himself as owed by society rather than the reverse.

Debate Over the Count’s Egotism and Philanthropy

Château-Renaud cheers the count’s frank avowal of egotism, while Morrel counters that the count’s act of saving Morcerf, a stranger to him at the time, was a philanthropic deed that contradicts his stated self-centered principles. Morcerf argues the count is actually a philanthropist who hides his virtues and pretends to vices he does not hold, pointing out that on his first day in Paris, he already displays the classic Parisian eccentricity of feigning faults and concealing his strengths. The count responds that he only saved Morcerf because he already knew him from their prior travels together, and had long planned to ask Morcerf to introduce him to Parisian high society, a promise Morcerf is now obligated to fulfill.