His father died in June 1912, which, according to Șerban Cioculescu (who cited Mateiu's correspondence), left him indifferent. By then, Caragiale-son resented Ion Luca's alleged exploitation of his popularity for material gains, and, later in the same year, commented that, "for a small fee", Caragiale-father could be persuaded to read his works at the fair in Obor. In a since-lost piece of his diary that was commented upon by Cioculescu, he also claimed that binge drinking and tobacco abuse had made his father decay physically and mentally. Despite his love for Berlin, he was also dissatisfied with his father's move to the city, and spread the rumor that, in the eyes of his family and friends, Ion Luca's departure was interpreted as "insane" (while alleging that Caragiale-father was planning to author plays in German, with assistance from Mite Kremnitz, the one-time lover of poet Mihai Eminescu). At the funeral ceremony, he reputedly shocked pianist Cella Delavrancea by coldly stating in French: "Je suis venu voir feu mon père" ("I came to see my late father").