Abstract: This article proposes a sociopoetic reading of the theme of hospitality (meals and card games) in three short stories from Les Diaboliques: “Le Rideau cramoisi,” “Le Dessous de cartes d’une partie de whist,” and “Le Plus Bel Amour de don Juan.” This article in turn shows that social practices, marked by subversion, generate reflection on the presence or absence of transcendence.
