Čiča Gorio

The plot of the novel is set in the poor boarding house of Mrs. Walker, where the old man Goriot lives, a former rich pasta producer, now impoverished because of his boundless love for his daughters — Anastasia and Delphine. Next to him in the boarding house lives a young law student, Eugène de Rastignac, an ambitious provincial who comes to Paris with the desire to succeed in society.

Goriot is a symbol of paternal self-sacrifice — he gave his entire fortune to bring his daughters into high society, but now, ashamed of his miserable situation, they almost completely ignore him. Eugène, fascinated by luxury and power, enters the world of high society with the help of the mysterious Vautrin, a criminal and manipulator, but at the same time he becomes close to Goriot and becomes a witness to his tragic fate.

At the moment when Goriot falls seriously ill, Eugène tries to call his daughters, but they, preoccupied with their social and love intrigues, do not come. Goriot dies heartbroken, abandoned and forgotten, while Eugène realizes the cruelty of the world he aspires to belong to. There is no one at the funeral except Eugene and two paid pallbearers.