Abandonment of Duty

In the first book of the novel, Geoffroy Villehardouin makes several references to the men who deserted the army or failed to arrive, as promised, to help fight the Crusade. Villehardouin is extremely negative towards these individuals. On several occasions, he notes how they are looked down upon wherever they go, and that they are not allowed to return to France. In another area, he notes many of them perished, rightfully, through illness and suffering at the ports they sailed to instead of those of the Crusaders. He blames these individuals first for the inability to pay for the ships at Venice. This, in turn, meant the remaining nobles had to travel to Zara and Constantinople in order to afford to continue the Crusade, and as such, Villehardouin inadvertently blames them for the failure of the Crusade. He is clearly making a point throughout the novel...