The Miser

"The Miser" is one of Molière's most celebrated and frequently performed works. In the main character Harpagon, he captured eternal human traits: unhealthy desires, greed, suspicion, and fear. It is fear itself that dominates and deforms a person if they succumb to it.

Molière's Harpagon is not merely someone who compulsively hoards money — greed is his religion, his worldview, and his mission. He turns everything upside down, including his relationships with loved ones and love itself.

Molière did not invent this type; he simply captured it. It transforms, changes clothes, hairstyle, political affiliation, and social origin — yet it can be found in every era and in every larger community.