In reality they all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but only represented by a set of arbitrary signs.

Wharton was a committed supporter of French imperialism describing herself as a "rabid imperialist" and the war solidified her political conservatism. In 1908 her husband's mental state was determined to be incurable. She called the villa "Sainte-Claire du Chateau" and filled the garden with cacti and subtropical plants.