I gave Libaude stacks of postcards I retrieved from Maurice's room above the Cafe Belle Gabrielle, scenes mostly of the winding streets of the La Butte Pinson, Le Elysees Montmartre, Le Place Pigalle, Le Rue Coulaincourt, Le Rue du Mont Cenis, Le Rue des Abbesses, Le Rue des Saules, Le Rue Girardon, Le Rue Norvin, and Le Rue Andre Antoine. He said the quality of the painting was a good as ever, the rate of production was consistent, and there were no problems in a physical sense. Apparently, Maurice's exemplary behavior at Sannois had induced the medical staff to extend favorable treatment which consisted of advantages denied other inmates, like a private room overlooking a garden to paint, a relaxation of the disciplinary measures, and a chance to walk within the grounds of the sanitarium without being accompanied by guards. Most of Maurice's time, Libaude said, was used for painting, isolated in his special quarters, smoking cigarettes one after the other, more or less at ease, showing none of the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol. This manifestation of proper attitudes, after three months at Sannois, encouraged the doctors to take a favorable view of granting Maurice his freedom, believing that he could, with careful watching, return to a normal lifestyle...
from Child of the Montmartre