Des hommes et des dieux Des Esseintes face au Mal

Evil appears to be one of the key notions in À rebours. Fascinated by it, the protagonist tries to understand it, but his attempts end in failure, along with his attempts to use and master it. In the end, the duke is just as impotent as at the beginning. Yet the endeavor was not without meaning. Led to an awareness of his weakness and faced with the immutability of the world, the protagonist is forced to undertake a new quest.