This idea is systematically integrated from the beginning into Faulks's writing, first through Bérard's song when "he fixed his eyes on Madame Azaire who was in front… She blushed and squirmed under his implacable gaze.” Faulks deliberately transforms this minor event into a symbolic metaphorical battle, using Bérard's authoritarian attitude as a physical manifestation of Isabelle's oppression. Faulks places the two characters as "opposites", creating two distinct sides of the conflict while also implying an equality that is completely ignored, showing his lack of freedom. The combative tone is enhanced by the assonance of the “fixed” eyes “fixed” on Isabelle, creating in Bérard an almost bestial side which is reminiscent of a creature circling around its prey. The erotic connotations of Bérard's physical and mental harassment create a grotesque image of Isabelle's violation, reinforcing her oppression. Likewise, Bérard's singing is, perversely, a serenade for Isabelle, transforming a romantic gesture into a verbal assault, which informs Azaire's subsequent physical blows against his wife in their bedroom, the setting of both the impotence of Azaire and the sensual power of Isabelle. Faulks' violent and hyperbolic lexical focus shows how even a minor loss of freedom can cause untold suffering. He distills this suffering into a moment of physical and mental degradation when Isabelle is raped by Azaire, illustrating the pattern of escalation of suffering that Faulks applies throughout life.