The Monomaniac (La bête humaine)

The story is set against the backdrop of the French railway system with trains and railways serving as both literal and symbolic elements. The protagonist Jacques Lantier a train engineer struggles with a hereditary mental illness that manifests as violent impulses particularly a monomaniacal obsession with killing women. Lantier's inner torment is a key focus of the novel as he battles these urges while trying to maintain a semblance of normal life. The plot also follows a series of other intertwined characters including Séverine Roubaud and her husband who are involved in a murder conspiracy. Séverine eventually becomes romantically involved with Lantier leading to a complex web of passion violence and betrayal. The train a powerful symbol of industrial progress and uncontrollable human instincts plays a central role in the unfolding tragedy.