This is a world of false glitter and real pathos: the world of La Duchesse de Langeais, of Hosanna, of Berthe, Carlotta and Gloria Star in Trois Petits Tours; a world of no exit where the only escape possible comes through illusion; where illusion is quickly shattered, as in Demain matin, Montréal m'attend, and heroism is stamped out, as in Sainte Carmen de la Main. (p. 18)

It is not impossible to cross over from the world of rue Fabre to that of the Main, and several of Tremblay's characters have made the transition—most notably, Carmen (from the household of Léopold and Marie-Louise in A toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou to the Rodeo café in Sainte Carmen de la Main). Sandra the transvestite takes the opposite route when he/she eventually returns to the street of his/her childhood. For the women who are caught in...