The Belly of Paris

Main Characters and Their Development

• Florent Quenu - the main character, unjustly accused and sent to a penal colony, returns to Paris where his brother Quenu helps him find work at the market. Florent seeks justice and revolution, but his ideals clash with the reality and hostility of those around him.
• Lisa Quenu - Quenu's wife, a practical and pragmatic woman who cares for her family and business. She opposes Florent's revolutionary ideas and strives to maintain stability and order in her life.
• Quenu Quenu - Florent's brother, a butcher at the market, a good-natured and hardworking man who tries to help Florent but is also concerned for his family and business.
• Claude Lantier - an artist and friend of Florent, who observes the life of the market and its inhabitants, striving to capture them in his paintings. He symbolizes creativity and the search for truth.
• Madame François - a vegetable seller, a kind-hearted woman who supports Florent and sympathizes with his ideas, yet understands the complexity of their realization.