Lucy's Protestant background clashes with the predominantly Catholic culture of Villette several times. Lucy has difficulty accepting some behavior that is only minimally offensive to the Catholics, such as lying, and she disagrees with them on some fundamental points regarding the extravagance of Mass and relative importance of church attendance. These differences alienate her from the community, and she is discouraged from talking alone with the students.
When M. Paul and Lucy become close friends, the difference in their religion alarms M. Paul's friends. M. Paul is very religious, but Lucy sees none of the hypocrisy or falseness that makes her dislike Catholicism. Lucy believes that the best of the religion is in M. Paul, but he joins his friends in their attempts to convert her. The separation that is caused by this difference nearly ends.....
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