Chapter 2: Florent and Quenu's History

FLASHBACK
Florent had been studying law in Paris when he and Quenu's mother died. She had always favored Florent, her elder son, especially when he would win chief prizes in school. She worked and saved all her money to send Florent to school, and as an effect, Quenu was left to wander the streets in ragged clothes.
When Florent returned to his home after his mother died, he "gave up all thought of continuing to attend the law school and postponed every ambitious project" (57). He had a child to look after and he took on various jobs of being a tutor to help pay for Quenu's various expenses. When Florent began to try and educate Quenu, Quenu proved to be a disenchanted and unwilling student. Florent's only ambition was to make Quenu as happy and comfortable as possible, and so, gave up all notions of educating him seeing as it made him bored and frustrated.
As Quenu grew older, he declared that he wanted to begin to work himself. He tried out various trades but found none that interested him. Even though Quenu wished to be independent and provide from himself, his trial and errors actually put a heavier burden on Florent, who had to pay for the required clothes, lessons, and tolls that Quenu needed to try out the various trades. But Florent quietly and uncomplainingly endured the load and was obliged to take a couple of students an evening on top of his usual students. Florent deprived himself of rest and even the smallest graces to provide for his brother. He selflessly worked to provide a comfortable and happy home for Quenu, "For eight years he had continued to wear the same old coat" (59).
Eventually, Quenu became aware of the opportunities that were just outside his door. Their neighbor, "a worthy man called Garvard," (60), ran a large poultry roasting establishment. It was there that Quenu's love for cooking grew. Quenu became passionate about cooking and enjoyed laboring over hot furnaces and working with savory gravy.
While Quenu happily worked in the poultry shop all day, Florent was obliged to continue his work tutoring to help pay for various expenses. "They continued to live in the room in the Rue Royer Collard, to which they returned every evening; the one glowing and radiant from his hot fire, the other with the depressed countenance of a shabby, impecunious teacher" (61). The two brothers are complete opposites, and not just personality-wise. Quenu is young and ignorant of the depressed state that Florent endures on his behalf and Florent is an unsung hero.

Really, Florent is a hero. He gives up his passion and his great intellectual promise to take care of his younger brother who is neither grateful nor willing to get an education. Not only does Florent have to give up his dreams, but he must provide for his brother by doing menial tutoring which stretches him thin and exhausts him.