The showy, fake diamond necklace comes to represent the pretentious style of life for which Mme. Loisel was willing to sacrifice everything. How different her life might have been had she resisted the need to try to be something she was not! If only she had forgone that one elegant evening, she would not have sacrificed her basic comforts nor her husband's satisfaction with their simple lifestyle. Intent on finding a way for his wife to live out her fantasy, however, he, too, was partly responsible for the sad turn of events. In this cautionary tale, we are shown the hazards of not appreciating what we have and of aspiring to be what we are not.