"An honest man—on a civil pension, 600 francs annuity—destitute for his daughters, each earning 50,000 livres annuity, dying like a dog"—this is the entry in Balzac's album. This album contains the origins of Le Père Goriot. However, this novel goes much further than simply the account of a death. It is the "sentimental education" of Rastignac, a young man from the provinces who moves to Paris, and his learning process about life, society, and people. It is also a portrait of a city given over to pleasure, where the so-called "honest people" tear each other apart. Moreover, there is Vautrin, who, despite his genial appearance, hides a demonic side. Like the Vauquer guesthouse, Le Père Goriot serves as a crossroads of destinies. A multifaceted novel, a key figure in the Comédie humaine, this treatise on passions offers no moral judgment. Therefore, it has no moral connotation.