SuitabookParc Lafontaine
Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf
- Reading
- After reading, invite your child to identify how the different passers-by respond, then discuss how those contrasts shape the play’s message. You could also compare the realistic encounters with the fantastical turn.
- Themes
- Compassion towards people in poverty: Martin begs passers-by for money, food or drink, and encounters responses ranging from indifference to cruelty. The play takes Martin’s side and explicitly draws attention to society’s lack of compassion towards the poor; its tone is described as slightly moralising.
- Worth knowing
- Passers-by are described as indifferent, condescending, odious or mean towards a destitute man asking for help. Consider whether this portrayal would be upsetting or prompt questions about poverty.