The Village

The village where Eddy and his family live, in the north of France, is described as rural and provincial. The majority of adults in town work for a nearby factory. The village has generally conservative values and rigid definitions of gender roles: men work, while women stay at home; men are heads of household and are able to exercise as much power as they wish over their wives and children. Generally speaking, the village is described as neither very clean nor safe. The villagers, including Eddy, neglect to take good care of the health; it is uncommon to brush one's teeth and Eddy's family bathes irregularly to save water. To distract themselves from their poverty and the hard circumstances of their jobs, the villagers drink heavily, as does Eddy with his buddies. The village is small but has several stores. It also is home to at least...