Despite his charisma, Lestat is portrayed as a lonesome individual. In his childhood, the only member of his family whom he had any connection with was his mother, Gabrielle. She is the only member of the family who could read, and she often immersed herself in novels, neglecting the mundane life around her. Lestat both admires and hates her for this, yet he is the only person of her family she can confide in; they develop a silent but strong bond. For this very reason Lestat makes a dying Gabrielle his first vampire companion when she comes to Paris in search of her son, wishing to see him before she succumbs to consumption.