What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
Mme Loisel is a pretty and young lady who was born into a family of clerks, which she felt was an error of destiny. She is a simple woman who had no dowry, hopes, or means to marry a rich or distinguished man, and thus allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the Board of Education.
She is always unhappy because she feels she was born for all delicacies and luxuries but lacks them. She suffers incessantly from the poverty of her apartment, the shabby walls and worn chairs. All these things tortured and angered her as she could not accept her modest reality.
Explanation
The textbook clearly describes Mme Loisel as a pretty, simple woman born into a clerk's family, which she considers an error of destiny. Her unhappiness stems from her constant dissatisfaction with her modest life—she believes she deserves luxuries and delicacies but suffers from the poverty of her surroundings instead.