moral-superiority

The narrator, formerly a successful Parisian lawyer specializing in defending 'noble' criminals, reflects on his professional pride, moral superiority, and personal philosophy. He describes his disdain for judges, his enjoyment of generosity and courtesy, and his preference for lofty, elevated places as metaphors for his sense of superiority and detachment. The chapter reveals his complex self-image as both a defender of justice and a man who lives above ordinary human concerns, basking in his own virtue and social elevation.