Guy de Maupassant’s «Bel-Ami» explores the rise of Georges Duroy, a social climber who leverages his physical allure and charm to secure influence in the Parisian press. His calculated seductions reveal women as instruments of his ambition, serving only as rungs on his ascent to wealth and power. The novel exposes the corruption and moral bankruptcy of the elite, where the pursuit of money, sexual conquest, and authority displaces ethical concerns and reveals the pervasive cynicism of society.