They both like being here, and their respective schools very much. They miss their friends- and even their enemies, in  Marcelles' case, but one must remember that Paris is all Marcelle has ever known. A good reason for a wider view. As well,
I'm also very curious as to the sources of opinion here- the world view of smaller cities/larger towns. Are they a political counterweight to Paris? Are they ideologically independent of the Paris media noise machine? To what degree are opinions here influenced by the authoritarian needs that come with being human? (More to some than to others)
What do working people read here?
The dockmaster is a fascinating guy.
More by e-mail if you are interested.  

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.