The Miser

In Act 2 Cleante is reunited with La Fleche, his servant. Cleante tells La Fleche, “the stakes are now life and death: I’ve just found out that my father is my rival for Marianne’s hand” (21). They will need money if they are to win her back from him, and he asks La Fleche how their loan is going. La Fleche assures Cleante that their broker, Master Simon, is intent on helping him. Cleante is relieved, until he learns the conditions of the loan: an interest rate of over 25%, and a large sum of the funds will not be loaned in cash, but instead in a collection of hard goods, most of which are tattered and worn pieces of furniture. Cleante is aghast; he exits with La Fleche upon hearing Harpagon’s footsteps.

Harpagon enters with Master Simon, the broker. He asks Master Simon about the young man he will be lending money to, but the broker cannot give any particulars other than he comes from a respectable, wealthy family. Harpagon decides this is enough for him and agrees to lend the money. As they are making the arrangement, Cleante and La Fleche re-enter. They are all surprised to see that, unbeknownst to either of them, Harpagon has just agreed to loan his own son money.