Chapter 5

Summary

• The principle characters are Anne-Catherine and her boyfriend, Breitwieser.
• The pair have been together for five years. He calls her Nena and she calls him Steph when private. Publicly they refer to themselves as Breitwieser and Anne-Catherine.
• Anne-Catherine suggests an entrance fee to their 'kingdom', but there is not clarifitcation to what exactly this fee refers to.
• The couple are in the attic of a house filled with seventeenth-century Flemish landscapes. Breitwieser enjoys art, and his love for Anne-Catherine is compared to his love for art.
• Breitwieser first met Anne-Catherine at a birthday party in 1991. Both are from deeply Alsatian families. He falls in love with her at first sight, and it's suggested it's the first time he has felt this way about a person.
• Those who know them describe their relationship as obsessive and irrational. Anne-Catherine is said to have totally fallen in love with Stephan and is all in when it comes to relationships.
• Anne-Catherine comes from a working-class background. Her father, Joseph Kleinklaus, is a line cook and her mother, Ginette Muringer, a daycare worker. She is the eldest of three siblings.
• In contrast, Breitwieser grew up in more affluent circumstances living a relatively luxurious lifestyle, which included skiing in the Alps and sailing on Lake Geneva.
• Being with Breitwieser is said to have awakened a sense of adventure in Anne-Catherine. Despite their different backgrounds, the relationship brought something that was lacking in each of their lives.
• Both struggle with their careers. She had been studying to become a registered nurse, and he had been studying law. Neither was successful in their studies, causing her to settle for a job as an aide, which involved menial tasks like changing bedpans and collecting the trash, while he drops out of school.
• In 1994, Breitwieser and Anne-Catherine visit a museum in Thann and take notice of a 18th century flintlock pistol. This pistol reminds him of his father's flintlocks.
• Breitwieser's relationship with his father is strained, and the pistol signifies a form of revenge against his father. According to Breitwieser, his father had not approved of Anne-Catherine due to her modest background.
• Anne-Catherine encourages Breitwieser to steal the pistol, marking a turning point in their relationship and establishing them as criminals. Anne-Catherine's encouragement is hinted to be due to her wanting to impress and feel closer to Breitwieser.