Who is Christine from The Masterpiece and what is their importance?

Christine is a tragic figure, sacrificing her modesty, good name, and life for the love of Claude. When we meet Christine, she appears to be the epitome of practicality..... Claude changes all that. Her refusal to be apart from him leads her to doing the unthinkable...... moving in with him without benefit of marriage. The couple has one child, who dies young, as a result of his parents' neglect. Christine's love for Claude never falters, even after she comes to realize that she will never come first in his life.