François de Curel (1854-1928) went down into the history of the French theater as an author of ‘thesis plays’. However, his works contain the features of the so-called ‘drama crisis’ which manifests itself at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, by the rejection of the canonical rules advocated since Aristotle. In fact, by analyzing A False Saint (1892), we are forced to note that the writer is undermining the dramatic structure by shifting his gaze from action to the study of the souls of the characters. Deprived of all will, they slowly get bogged down in their shady as inert world. In this way, the French playwright puts emphasis not on ‘acting character’ but on ‘retrospective character’ (passive) who dwells on his unhappy life.