text: **Unofficial image**
  
  Besides the official depiction and image of Louis, his subjects also followed a non-official 
  discourse consisting mainly of clandestine publications, popular songs, and rumours that 
  provided an alternative interpretation of Louis and his government. They often focused on 
  the miseries arising from poor government, but also carried the hope for a better future 
  when Louis escaped the malignant influence of his ministers and mistresses, and took the 
  government into his own hands. On the other hand, petitions addressed either directly to 
  Louis or to his ministers exploited the traditional imagery and language of monarchy. 
  These varying interpretations of Louis abounded in self-contradictions that reflected the 
  people's amalgamation of their everyday experiences with the idea of monarchy.[123] 