The Papin sisters, Christine and Lea, shocked the nation with their heinous acts in February 1933. The gruesome murders they committed left their victims unrecognizable, as they mercilessly tore out their eyes and mutilated their genitals. However, it was not just the brutality of their crimes that captured the attention of intellectuals. It was the treatment they endured as servants in the household of a wealthy French family, the Lancelins, that made their case a powerful symbol of the ongoing class struggle.

Life Inside The Lancelin House

Christine and Lea Papin were employed as household staff for René Lancelin, a retired lawyer, his wife Léonie, and their adult daughter Geneviève. The Lancelin family resided in a splendid two-story townhouse located at No. 6 rue Bruyère in the city of Le Mans.

According to external sources, the family treated the Papin sisters with kindness and fairness. They shared the same meals as the Lancelin family, resided in a heated room, and received the standard wages of that era.

Prior to the heinous crimes, Christine and Lea Papin were known for their professional conduct. Their dedication and hard work as domestic servants made the Lancelin household the object of envy among the French upper-class households.