Monsieur Lheureux

An unscrupulous moneylender and commission merchant at Yonville who entices Emma into debt by playing on her weaknesses and fears. His scheme of work was very easy to understand for nowadays reader. But what about a woman Emma who simply wanted to live this life better? So, what did he do? Knowing her powerful desire to earn a lot of money and to live in luxury he acts the part of the devil. He tempts Emma and other customers with luxuries they cannot afford, and then suddenly appears with requests for payment – then, promises of loans – and finally leads them into financial ruin.

Lheureux is a bit of a devil figure who tempts people with luxuries they can’t afford and knows just when to appear with his requests for money and promises of more loans.

Monsieur Lheureux is the closest thing we get to a truly evil creature. He is remorseless and cunning; he knows all along that he will drive Emma to financial ruin, and furthermore, he does it on purpose. When first we meet him, we learn that he has already driven another unfortunate citizen out of business and out of town (Madame Lefrançois’s rival, the tavern keeper), and clearly, he has no qualms about doing the same to Emma. He even has the gall to show up at her funeral and look sad, even while he’s pumping Charles for more cash. Lheureux shows us depths of depravity to which people can sink in the pursuit of money. In Emma's case, her degree of debt and all the dishonesty it represents lead her to commit suicide.