The Repertory of the Comedie Humaine, as the reader can see for himself, should include only those episodes introducing characters inter-related and continually recurring.  Consequently, the stories entitled The Exiles, About Catherine de Medici, Maitre Cornelius, The Unknown Masterpiece, The Elixir of Life, Christ in Flanders, which antedate the eighteenth century, and Seraphita, which deals with the supernatural, are omitted, together with the Analytical Studies.  But The Hated Son furnishes some indispensable information concerning a few biographies.  The Dramas are outside the action of the Comedie, so contribute no names.

According to Theophile Gautier, The Comedie Humaine embraces two thousand characters.  His reckoning is nearly exact; but as a result of cross-references, surnames, assumed names and the like, that number is far exceeded in this work, which, nevertheless, omits many characters outside the action, as:  Chevet, Decamps, Delacroix, Finot Sr., the child of Calyste and Sabine du Guenic, Noemi Magus, Meyerbeer, Herbaut, Houbigant, Tanrade, Mousqueton, Arnal, Barrot, Bonald, Berryer, Gautier, Gozlan, Hugo, Hyacinthe, Lafont, Lamartine, Lassailly, F. Lemaitre, Charles X., Louis Philippe, Odry, Talma, Thiers, Villele, Rossini, Rousseau, Mlle. Dejazet, Mlle. Georges, etc.