What starts to become clear about Moliere is just how talented he was not just in penning comedies that were box office hits but in terms of the relationships he made. By befriending the King’s brother he was able to keep at bay his critics and get plays published and performed despite complaints.
His days of travelling were behind him and he settled into Paris lampooning on stage the women with their social salons and the cuckolded husbands of the very rich. He managed to keep the King laughing even when he went for Dukes. Of course because of the author you are perhaps trying too hard to draw parallels with Russian society but you can well imagine the dependence that an author of plays or novels would have on the King (Stalin) and his court.
But he was not a young man and it had taken years for him to find this success and Bulgakov, who continues to have a friendly and in obstructive touch, points out the growing tensions in French society.
Once you reach the top there is of course only one way to go...
