Mr. Loisel worked as what?

Monsieur Loisel works as a minor official in the Ministry of Education. It's not a bad job. It doesn't pay much but it does put food on the table, even if the food in question often happens to be a rather uninspiring beef stew. The Loisels live what can fairly be described as a solid petit bourgeois existence, one shared with millions of others in Paris.

But Madame Loisel is heartily embarrassed at her standard...

Monsieur Loisel works as a minor official in the Ministry of Education. It's not a bad job. It doesn't pay much but it does put food on the table, even if the food in question often happens to be a rather uninspiring beef stew. The Loisels live what can fairly be described as a solid petit bourgeois existence, one shared with millions of others in Paris.

But Madame Loisel is heartily embarrassed at her standard of living. She thinks she is so much better than her surroundings. She yearns for the finer things in life: beautiful clothes, rich tapestries, liveried footmen, sumptuous banquets. It is the huge chasm between the Loisels' respective social ambitions that provides the impetus for what subsequently happens in the story. When Monsieur Loisel receives an invitation to the Ministry of Education ball, it provides a rare opportunity for his wife to live out her wildest, snobbiest fantasies.