How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
She became the plaything of Camille's murderers, a doll whom they dressed, [...] and used according to their needs and whims. [...] What made her most angry was the frightful mockery of this young woman who claimed to read feelings of mercy in her look, when she would have liked with a look to strike the criminal down. (29.10)
After Mme Raquin loses her speech, Thérèse and Laurent treat her like a "plaything," a lifeless object. The implication here is that language is closely linked to our sense of identity, and that without language, we are reduced to the state of speechless animals.