In many ways, The Phantom of the Opera engages with the unfair results of rigid social distinctions. For instance, Erik remains an outcast because of his face; he symbolizes vulnerability and injustice as well as the unfounded horror that people feel when met with unexpected or unfamiliar appearances. By contrast, Armand Moncharmin becomes a director of the opera house despite his complete lack of musical training. In Chapter 4, the narrator describes how Moncharmin acquired his position at the opera:
Armand Moncharmin wrote such voluminous Memoirs that we may well ask whether, during his years as co-director of the Paris Opera House, he ever found the time to discharge his duties other than by keeping a chronicle of events there. He had no knowledge of music; but he was on friendly terms with the Minister for Public Education and Fine Arts, had tried his hand as a theatre critic and enjoyed the advantages of a substantial private income.
The narrator obviously doubts Moncharmin's ability to direct the opera house. Not only does he lack musical knowledge, but he also spends so much time writing about himself that he often fails to do his duties. But he is charming, socially intelligent, and presumably has regular features—unlike the disfigured Phantom (who would nonetheless make a much better director, given his supreme talent for music). Moncharmin's character gives insight into the social convention of electing charming, moneyed people to important positions regardless of their actual qualifications. It also suggests that the Phantom, given his apparent lack of charm, would never be granted such a role because he does not match the societal conventions for proper appearance or behavior.
