I am not sure if there is a more terrifying character in fiction than Pere Grandet, The terror comes from the knowledge that people like him exist in the world. Balzac is just a master of telling the story of the human experience, granted in Paris in the 18th century but the timelessness and the real story is how we react to, help, hurt and shape each other personally and socially. Individuals and communities. So interesting, I hope to read everything Balzac wrote.