- Eh bien! et cette matelotte, quand la mangerons nous? - Quand vous voudrez.- Oui, mais vous savez, avec du vin de Bordeaux. - Vous en avez? Non pas! c'est vous qui l'avez perdu! - Ou ça? - Au piquet chez Goulard. - Qu'est-ce que c'est ça Goulard? - Ah ça mais! vous n'êtes donc pas Mr. Vergeot? - Du tout... Et vlà une heure que vous me répondez! - Dame oui j'ai cru que vous m'invitiez et on connait toujours quelqu'un qui vous invite!

Abstract

A man invites another man to dinner even though they do not know each other. When the former realizes that he does not even know the latter, he asks the latter why he accepted the invitation. The latter answers that one should never refuse an invitation from someone. In this series Daumier describes the various emotional reactions of his fellow citizens when faced with precarious situations… the doorman, who when peeking through a keyhole, sees his wife being embraced by one of his tenants, the old gentleman remembering with wistfulness his conquests of long ago, when seeing some models in a window decoration, but most touching, the father from the provinces who purposely is not being recognized by his “established ” son when visiting the city. Daumier succeeds to show the bourgeoisie with humour but also with that certain touch of bitterness and at the same time endeavours to help us understand how much we are all fighting to climb up the social ladder, while often forgetting our roots and damaging our own self-esteem as well as that of our surrounding.