Character Relationship Map: Repeated Absences

Characters

• François Naulet (played by Patrick Penn) — protagonist

  François is the central figure, a drug user who describes himself as little more than a file in a narcotics drawer. His repeated absences and lateness cost him his bank job, and he resists his parents...

• Sophie (played by Nathalie Delon) — supporting

  Sophie is François’s intimate companion and a source of tenderness and joy in his life. He tells her she is the most beautiful thing that has happened to him and recalls her freedom and generosity, bu...

• Marie, la femme de Guy (played by Corinne Le Poulain) — supporting

  Marie is identified in the story as Guy’s wife and appears in François’s recollections of moments with Guy. François reflects on the tenderness he sees in the couple, placing Marie within the circle o...

• Le père de François (played by Yves Robert) — supporting

  François’s father urges him to pull himself together and accept what he describes as the harsh rules of life. His response contrasts with François’s resistance to ordinary expectations and with the mo...

• Guy (played by Patrick Jouané) — supporting

  Guy is François’s concerned friend, visiting him and trying to draw him back into the world. François recalls moments shared with Guy and reflects on the tenderness he sees in him. Later, Guy asks how...

• La mère de François (played by Danièle Delorme) — supporting

  François’s mother tries to persuade him to seek treatment as his drug use and detachment continue. Her concern places her among the people around him who hope he will change, while François resists an...

• Georges, le vieil homosexuel (played by Pierre Bertin) — supporting

  Georges is a man François speaks with later in the story. He teases François about lovers and asks how life is treating him; François responds that he is leaving Paris. Their conversation highlights F...

• Pierrot (played by Thomas Andhersen) — supporting

  Pierrot is associated with François’s reflections on innocence. The summary says François thinks of the innocence he connects with Pierrot, but gives no specific action or encounter involving him. His...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• François Naulet → Sophie (Affectionate Romantic Bond) — Their intimacy matters deeply to François, but he cannot promise to stay and chooses to leave despite their affection.

  François tells Sophie she is the most beautiful thing that has happened to him and remembers her joy, freedom, and generosity. They part with affectio...

• Guy → Marie, la femme de Guy (Family Husband And Wife) — Their relationship is presented through the tenderness François observes between them.

  The plot explicitly describes Marie as “la femme de Guy” and mentions François reflecting on the tenderness he sees in Guy and Marie.

• La mère de François → François Naulet (Family Mother) — She responds to François's drug use and isolation by urging him to get treatment.

  The plot identifies her as François's mother and says she tries to persuade him to seek treatment.

• Le père de François → François Naulet (Family Father) — His father presses François to conform to ordinary expectations, while François remains detached from them.

  The plot identifies him as François's father and says he urges François to pull himself together and accept life's harsh rules.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• François Naulet → Pierrot (Narrative Association Through Memory) — Pierrot appears in François's reflections as a figure associated with innocence.

  François reflects on the innocence he associates with Pierrot.

• François Naulet → Georges, le vieil homosexuel (Social Acquaintance) — Georges engages François in conversation, but François remains distant from the pursuits Georges describes.

  Georges speaks with François, teases him about lovers, and asks how life is treating him; François tells him he is leaving Paris.

• Guy → François Naulet (Social Concerned Friend) — Guy makes efforts to reconnect with François, who remains increasingly distant from ordinary life.

  Guy visits François and tries to draw him back into the world; François also recalls moments shared with Guy.

Story Analysis

François drifts away from ordinary life, confronting loss and intimacy before choosing an uncertain departure.

Plot Progression

1. The Bank and Family Pressure — François's drug use, absences, and detachment define his private world. Losing his job brings pressure from his father and a plea for treatment from his mother, but his familiar visions do not bring h...
2. Friends and Passing Time — Guy tries to reconnect with François, who recalls Guy and Marie and associates Pierrot with innocence. At a country dance hall, talk of conventional life and memories of deceased friends intensify his...
3. Sophie and the Departure — François tells Sophie how much she means to him but cannot promise to stay. He chooses an uncertain journey, and they part with affection rather than anger.
4. Leaving Paris Unresolved — Georges asks François about his life and teases him about lovers. François says he is leaving Paris, and the excerpt ends with him encountering Sophie again without revealing his destination or eventu...