as not mortally wounded his contentedness is briefly upset. His social ambition is gone, but Mme. de Rênal is not completely a part of that ambition. She is not lost to him; he knows, somehow, that she forgives him and still loves him. He falls in love with her, yet, he is still resigned to death.
             Julien spends his last days largely alone. He holds wild dialogues with himself which lead him to believe that he has life figured out. He comes to defined conclusions that satisfy him: Religion and society are hopelessly corrupted, hypocrisy is everywhere and virtue is nowhere, being a member of society he is not at fault for falling victim to it in his ignorance. He realizes that his relationship with Mme. de Rênal (really his only human relationship) is the only thing that brings him happiness; he spends his days happily remembering his time at Vergy and cherishing the last few times he gets to spend with her.
             This Julien is merely telling himself that he understands life so he can escape it. His defen
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