 Le Père Goriot begins in June 1819 , following Napoleon 's defeat at Waterloo , after the House of Bourbon had been restored to the throne of France . Tension was mounting between the aristocracy , which had returned with King Louis XVIII , and the bourgeoisie produced by the Industrial Revolution . During this era , France saw a tightening of social structures , with a lower class steeped in overwhelming poverty . By one estimate , almost three @-@ quarters of Parisians did not make the 500 – 600 francs a year required for a minimal standard of living . At the same time , this upheaval made possible a social mobility unthinkable during the Ancien Régime of previous centuries . Individuals willing to adapt themselves to the rules of this new society could sometimes ascend into its upper echelons from modest backgrounds , much to the distaste of the established wealthy class . 
