The Poor Gentleman

By: Conscience, Hendrik

Respectability can be a costly disguise. Monsieur De Vlierbeck moves through nineteenth-century society as a gentleman, receiving the courtesies his position appears to command, while severe financial distress threatens the life he has struggled to preserve. His journey in an ageing cal che captures the contradiction that shapes the novel: outward dignity set against private poverty, and social recognition shadowed by the possibility of disgrace. Family duty sharpens every pressure. De Vlierbeck's concern for his daughter Lenora's happiness binds his financial hardship to a deeply personal obligation, forcing him to bear the demands of class and appearance while his resources diminish. An appeal to a notary for assistance exposes how precarious his circumstances have become without reducing the story to money alone. The central tension lies in what poverty requires of a father determined to protect his child, and in how long honour can be maintained when material reality no longer supports it. Domestic life and social expectation meet in a drama of paternal devotion, sacrifice and threatened standing. Rather than treating poverty as an abstract condition, the novel places it within everyday relationships, where affection, obligation and reputation cannot easily be separated. Its contrast between gentlemanly appearance and concealed hardship gives the narrative its distinctive force, while the conflict between appearances and reality keeps each choice under pressure. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9377784409
• ISBN13: 9789377784409
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"