Dimitri is named after Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. The Three Musketeers is actually about four friends and explores themes of brotherhood, loyalty and chivalry. There are more parallels in the sense of duty strained by ideology and trauma + a romanticized code of knighthood that reality breaks down. The Count of Monte Cristo, on the other hand, is about revenge, obsession and loss of humanity. Both works mirror Dimitri; early on you can see Musketeer-like camaraderie and later the vengeance-driven descent appears.

Felix is named after Victor Hugo, author of Les Misérables, which is a critique of blind idealism and has views of moral struggles and the tension between law and compassion. Felix rejects false chivalry (like Hugo critiques institutions) and struggles between harsh truth vs emotional loyalty. Hugo’s works are often about tearing down illusions of justice and exposing hypocrisy in noble ideals. Felix calls out Faerghus’ toxic knight culture and rejects blind loyalty (despite being quite the hypocrite) he’s essentially Hugo’s critique of romanticism embodied inside a romantic setting.

This takes us to the relationship between the two authors. Dumas and Hugo were friends/rivals in real life and their complicated friendship mirrors that of Felix and Dimitri’s. They had temporary quarrels followed by reconciliations but their friendship became more stable after Napoléon III's political takeover. When Dumas died, Hugo wrote a beautiful and touching letter to Dumas junior. Their relationship can’t really be considered as regular though. Hugo was convinced of his own literary and moral superiority so his feelings for Dumas were a mixture of affection and annoyance. The admiration and friendship Dumas claimed for his illustrious colleague seemed to be more sincere. Anyhow, the two of them share a final resting place in the Panthéon in Paris.

Sylvain is named after Théophile Gautier, a French poet and novelist. He champions aestheticism (art for art’s sake) and had a fascination with beauty and fleeting pleasure + surface over moral structure. Sylvain initially embodies this, especially in his womanizer persona. Hedonistic, flirtatious and emotionally detached, he’s a commentary on superficial attraction vs genuine connection and is a critique of social systems (crests).

Gautier was also friends with Hugo, and together with Dumas were all prominent members of The Club des Hashischins ("Club of the Hashish-Eaters") a Parisian group dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experiences, notably with hashish. Gautier penned vivid accounts of his hashish experiences in Le Club des Hachichins. His writings provide a detailed portrayal of the club’s sessions.

Now Ingrid is a bit trickier. At first glance, she doesn’t map as cleanly to a French author like the others but there is a likely thematic/literary angle in the surname Galatea which comes from the myth of Galatea. This myth was widely reinterpreted in European (including French) literature and art. The Galatea myth is about idealization, transformation, and devotion to an ideal. Ingrid also fits the romantic chivalric tradition that all three writers engaged with.