Chapter 18: Homais's Success
While the Bovary family suffered and died, Homais the pharmacist prospered. His business continued to grow, and he became more respected in the community. He received an award for his services to the town, and people praised his intelligence and modern ideas.
Homais was proud of his success and felt that he had earned it. He did not feel guilty about Emma's death or Charles's ruin—he saw these things as natural consequences of their own foolishness and lack of morality.
The contrast between Homais and the Bovarys was striking. While the Bovarys had been kind and honest people who suffered terribly, Homais was arrogant and dishonest, yet he lived happily and successfully.
This unfairness represented the injustice of the society that Flaubert was criticizing. The world rewarded people like Homais while destroying people like Emma and Charles, who had simply wanted to find happiness and love.