“Little economic factors” in Valery Larbaud’s “Le Vaisseau de Thésée”

In “Le Vaisseau de Thésée”, a novella from Valery Larbaud, an entrepreneur retires to a Parisian palace to examine his conscience. This novella focuses on interiority, a central theme in Larbaud's work. It is also a reflection on the meaning of economic activity in a capitalist regime. Can the private interest meet the general interest? The treatment of this classic problem of capitalism resonates with our contemporary debates on the social and societal responsibility of the company.