No, he is not fascinated by evil, but he defends both the presumption of innocence and the right – for criminals of every kind – to a fair sentence that does not vary from one assize court to the next by anything from one to twofold.
No, he is not the enemy of magistrates, but he questions the absence of the notion of humanity in their oath, even though it features in that of lawyers. For those who entrust him with their fate are also human beings, whose life stories can sometimes inspire a certain clemency in jurors.
No, he is not against the state, but he is often outraged by the way the justice system operates. As no one has done before, he recounts the little arrangements, influences and traps that can distort a verdict. Through the anecdotes and edifying memories of the major assize trials in which he took part, he paints a portrait of an implacable judicial system, within which the defence is scarcely tolerated, even when it desperately attempts to prevent miscarriages of justice.