The moral of the story challenges nineteenth-century notions of what made a woman virtuous and pure. Normally, this was understood as being sexually faithful to one's husband. However, in this story, M. Lantin's first wife, who has a series of wealthy lovers and is lavished with expensive jewels by them, proves to be the far better wife than the conventionally virtuous woman he marries after her death.
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The moral of the story challenges nineteenth-century notions of what made a woman virtuous and pure. Normally, this was understood as being sexually faithful to one's husband. However, in this story, M. Lantin's first wife, who has a series of wealthy lovers and is lavished with expensive jewels by them, proves to be the far better wife than the conventionally virtuous woman he marries after her death.