The Firm of Nucingen

"The Firm of Nucingen" by Honoré de Balzac is a short story, but it's impactful. In the private dining room of a famous Parisian restaurant, the narrator overhears the conversation of four journalists in the next room, characters from one of Balzac's other books. They comment and speculate about the wealth of Eugène de Rastignac, among other things, who they remember was poor when he first arrived in Paris. The book examines humanity from this outside perspective and the unwritten rules of society.