All of the central characters in The Vagabond were fashioned after people whom Colette knew. Renee Nere is Colette herself, although she bears some resemblance to the poetess, Renee Vivien, who wrote of lesbian love and who died shortly before the novel was begun. Max was based partly on Auguste Heriot, with whom Colette did have an affair after her divorce from Willy. Renee's fellow performer and mentor, Brague, resembles Georges Wague, an able performer who had assisted Colette to get started in mime (her Burgundian accent was thought, for a time, to be a barrier against vocal roles). Renee's former husband, the portrait painter, Adolphe Taillandy, clearly represents Willy.

This cast of characters, along with Renee's friend Margot, who has also been disappointed in love, are the focus of the novel. The action in this book is not extensive. The stress is on the states of mind...