Chapter 107
The Lions' Den
One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard. The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also. It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest. The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence. The courtyard…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Lions"
Context: Narrator names the dangerous ward at La Force
Prisoners name their own cage.
In Today's Words:
Prisoners call the Saint-Bernard court the Lions' Den because captives gnaw the bars. Labels tell truth. When inmates name a ward after predators, expect violence before trial. The pattern is not abstract. It appears whenever power, timing, and social ritual quietly decide what people treat as real.
"La Force"
Context: Narrator locates Andrea's prison division
Splendor ends in stone corridors.
In Today's Words:
Andrea is confined in La Force among the most dangerous prisoners. Titles stop at gates. When a false prince enters a lion ward, the audience he once bought is gone. The pattern is not abstract. It appears whenever power, timing, and social ritual quietly decide what people treat as real.
"La savate"
Context: Prisoners propose iron-heeled punishment for Andrea
Crowds punish before judges do.
In Today's Words:
Other prisoners shout for la savate, cuffing a disgraced comrade with iron heels. Mob justice starts early. When a fraud lands among convicts, expect ritual humiliation first. The pattern is not abstract. It appears whenever power, timing, and social ritual quietly decide what people treat as real.
"salad basket"
Context: Andrea is loaded into the transfer vehicle
Trial arrives in a grated box.
In Today's Words:
Andrea steps into the oblong grated vehicle prisoners call the salad basket. Process shrinks men. When a defendant leaves jail in a cage on wheels, the city already has its spectacle. The pattern is not abstract. It appears whenever power, timing, and social ritual quietly decide what people treat as real.
Thematic Threads
Lion den
In This Chapter
Andrea sits among La Force's worst prisoners.
Development
Inmates demand la savate.
In Your Life:
Fallen status invites mob punishment.
Cold steward
In This Chapter
Bertuccio will not take Andrea's hand.
Development
He promises tomorrow and leaves.
In Your Life:
Patrons may watch ruin without mercy.
Salad basket
In This Chapter
Grated cart carries Andrea to court.
Development
He fears deception at the gate.
In Your Life:
Justice often arrives in humiliating containers.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Andrea enters the Lions' Den at La Force while prisoners call the yard by its grim nickname. How does Paris receive the false prince?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
One way to read it: as one more predator among predators. Splendor ends where the grated wagon begins.
- 2
Andrea tells fellow prisoners a powerful protector will save him and showers gold in memory. What story does he still believe?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
One way to read it: that Monte Cristo needs him alive. He mistakes orchestration for loyalty.
- 3
Bertuccio visits the cell, jingles coins without giving them, and promises to return tomorrow. What relationship do steward and Benedetto share?
application • mediumOne way to read it
One way to read it: keeper and kept from Marseilles days. Bertuccio's calm frightens Andrea more than the gendarmes.
- 4
Andrea enters the salad basket carriage wondering if he can be deceived while Bertuccio says simply tomorrow. Who holds the next move?
application • deepOne way to read it
One way to read it: the count through Bertuccio. Andrea's trial will speak what the count wrote long ago.
- 5
Villefort prepared the Benedetto case to open the assizes while Andrea waits in Saint-Bernard court. When does hunter and prey share one script?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
One way to read it: when the prosecutor does not know his witness is his son. The lions' den is only a waiting room.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Revenge Costs
Think of a situation where you wanted to 'get back' at someone who hurt you - maybe a boss, ex-partner, or family member. Write down what your ideal revenge would look like, then list what you would have to become (personality traits, actions, mindset) to carry it out. Finally, ask yourself: would the person you'd have to become be someone you'd want to be friends with?
Consider:
- •Focus on character changes, not just external actions
- •Consider how pursuing revenge affects your relationships with others
- •Think about whether the 'victory' would actually heal your original hurt
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you chose healing over revenge, or when you wish you had. What did that choice cost you, and what did it save you?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 108: The Judge
While Andrea rides the salad basket toward the Palais, Villefort will finish the Benedetto indictment at dawn, drink his wife's chocolate, and double-lock her door after farewell, madame.
