Character Analysis
Poor Pierre, Antoinette's little brother, doesn't get much play in the novel. He doesn't talk or do anything; his main function in the novel is to get ill and die. Both his illness and his death end up driving his mother insane with grief. It's not clear why Annette should care so much more for Pierre than Antoinette, but given the way that women are treated in the novel, it may have something to do with Pierre's being the only male in the family.