Ironically, at the moment when Valancourt is beginning to lose Emily’s respect, he gains respect from other people at the party by seeming to win over a woman with a large fortune. This whole ball scene emphasizes how, outside of the idyllic La Vallée, people are much shallower and more materialistic than St. Aubert was. Cavigni goes out of his way to flatter Madame Cheron, raising the question of what he hopes to get out of her.