 According to Marcel Pagnol, Saint-Mars would actually have felt sorry for the prisoner confined in his loneliness and whose health was deteriorating.Despite Louvois's order to threaten him with death if he tried to speak to him, Saint-Mars is assumed to have listened to his story and trusted him to remain silent towards Fouquet .Marcel Pagnol goes as far as to propose that it was the prisoner himself who suggested to Saint-Mars that he adopt this approach towards Louvois.