 Still , it is the larger social structure that finally overwhelms Rastignac 's soul – Vautrin merely explains the methods and causes . Although he rejects Vautrin 's offer of murder , Rastignac succumbs to the principles of brutality upon which high society is built . By the end of the novel , he tells Bianchon : " I 'm in Hell , and I have no choice but to stay there . " 
