(Baron) Danglars Character Analysis

Another of the plotters, Danglars rises from the position of cargo manager on a ship to being an esteemed banker in Paris. He has made his fortune via financial speculation, and this is enough for him to gain renown across France and much of western Europe. Danglars considers himself to be on the same plane as the Rothschilds and other esteemed banking families, but when the Count comes to Paris, this lie unravels. By asking Danglars to give him “unlimited” credit (as the other famous banks have), the Count systematically begins a campaign to insinuate that Danglars’s fortune is not so large as he claims—and, at the same time, to help erode that fortune by using various means to influence foreign markets and cause Danglars to lose his investments. By the end of the novel, the Count has entirely ruined Danglars and has thwarted Danglars’ attempts to marry his daughter, Eugenie, to a wealthy family. Danglars is forced to barter away nearly all his money to escape the predations of Louis Vampa and his bandits.