Exploring the Complexities of Love and Control in

The Intricate Dynamics of Placage in Colonial Society

In the historical drama Liberté, Christophe Montreuil is a Grand Blanc and slave owner. He is entangled in a placage arrangement with Sabine Beauregard. These placages—a hallmark of colonial Saint-Domingue—were formal agreements between wealthy white men and free women of color. In exchange for companionship, the women often received housing, stipends, and provisions for their children.

When we meet Christophe, Sabine’s contract is just three days from expiring—and he’s not ready to let her go. To understand the depths of his desperation, we must examine who Christophe truly is through a character analysis.

A Legacy of Wealth and Isolation

Christophe was born into privilege but raised without warmth. His grandfather built a powerful sugar and indigo empire on the backs of enslaved Africans. This instilled in the family a legacy of wealth, control, and brutal efficiency. His mother, bitter and disillusioned with colonial life, returned to France. She left Christophe behind to be raised by a Black nanny—his only source of genuine affection. Her death cemented his emotional isolation.

As the last male heir, Christophe inherited not just the estate but also the crushing pressure to preserve the family line. Marriage and legacy loomed large, but he was never interested in love or family—only in control.

Tragedy and Transformation

Sabine entered Christophe’s life through tragedy. After a horrific incident, Sabine’s half-brother—once Christophe’s friend—pleaded with him to purchase Sabine and her mother, Adélaïde, to protect them from his mother. Christophe agreed, placing them in the fields as laborers.

Fate shifted when Christophe became gravely ill. Colonial doctors failed him. Desperate, they turned to Sabine, a skilled healer trained in traditional medicine. She nursed him back to health—marking the second time in his life where Christophe had been shown care without condition.

Grateful and emotionally unmoored, he moved Sabine and her mother to work in the kitchen. Sabine's intelligence and quiet resolve captivated him. When Sabine came of age, Christophe offered her freedom—on the condition she become his placée. With few options and a desire to protect her mother, Sabine reluctantly agreed.

The Descent into Obsession

What followed was a descent into obsession. Christophe didn’t just want Sabine nearby—he wanted to possess her. He defied social norms by having her live with him instead of buying her a home. But his love, as Liberté makes clear, is a mask for something darker.

As their contract nears its end, Christophe spirals. His fear of abandonment transforms into manipulation. What he calls “loyalty” is coercion. What he frames as “affection” is domination. Christophe is not a man in love. He is a man who cloaks control in sentiment. Despite freeing Sabine and her mother from slavery, he still exerts ownership—over Sabine’s body, mind, and future.

The Haunting Truth of Colonial Power

In Liberté, Christophe represents a haunting truth of colonial power: the belief that affection can erase abuse, that money can justify possession, and that survival equals consent. His story is not one of redemption—it’s one of obsession masked as love, control disguised as care.

And in a world already burning with revolution, that makes Christophe one of the most dangerous men alive.