One thing that's telling, though, is that Mathilde dreams of being rich, but doesn't seem to think a whole lot about being noble. If the story were set earlier, noble blood would have mattered more, and Mathilde probably would have thought about it just as much as money. At this point in time, however, money (plus a little bit of charm) practically makes nobility. Money's what enables you to pay for the "high life," and surround yourself with fancy, fabulous things. And the fancy, fabulous things that Mathilde fantasizes about – the oriental tapestries, "tall lamps of bronze," the "precious bric-a-brac" in "coquettish little rooms" – all hint at the fashions of the time, as does the intimate," small-party social life that she idolizes.