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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Commission in Lunacy by Honore de Balzac: man's actions are devoid of reason; but in this case, the remittances
made to you have a reason based on the most sacred and most honorable
motives. Hence you may keep it all without remorse, and leave the
world to misinterpret a noble action. In Paris, the highest virtue is
the object of the foulest calumny. It is, unfortunately, the present
condition of society that makes the Marquis' actions sublime. For the
honor of my country, I would that such deeds were regarded as a matter
of course; but, as things are, I am forced by comparison to look upon
M. d'Espard as a man to whom a crown should be awarded, rather than
that he should be threatened with a Commission in Lunacy.
"In the course of a long professional career, I have seen and heard
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