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When Franz first arrives on Luna, he behaves like little more than a simple party boy, enjoying the myriad shallow pleasures the planet’s infamous nightlife has to offer. It’s carnival season on the moon, and he’s there with his best friend in order to have a good time. Hedonism rules the class into which he was born, and, it would seem, Franz himself. He flirts and laughs freely, enjoying the opera, frequenting casinos, clubs and the red light district, and teases his way lazily through life without any apparent direction. But the trip to Luna marks the beginning of the end of this lifestyle for Franz, as it triggers the irreversible metamorphosis from boy to man-one which, though Franz is ultimately capable of adapting, he is unable to survive.
The catalyst for that transformation is his introduction to the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, via the Count’s interactions with Albert. While Albert is taken in by the Count’s mystique, Franz remains suspicious. At first, his suspicions are unfounded; it seems that much of his mistrust is based upon jealousy, as Albert is fascinated by, even obsessed with, the mysterious stranger, and listens to him over Franz despite their history together. Later on, Franz cites a “deep darkness” that he senses within the Count, though he also does his best to insist that the Count is “just a man” like anyone else. His inability-or his refusal-to trust the Count causes him to lash out; at a fancy dinner party and in front of a large group of people, he questions the Count’s evasion of questions about his past, despite the obvious faux pas, and he does all he can to tear Albert away from his side. To this point, Franz acts clumsily on his suspicions, like a child attempting to wrestle attention away from the adults in the room. Nonetheless, his instincts are sharp, and his growing concern for Albert comes to drive many of his subsequent actions.
Franz’s dedication and devotion to his best friend is another indication that there is more to his character than meets the eye, something that runs far deeper than his casual facade. Even during his first interactions with Albert, he shows a cautious side; he is far more concerned with actions and reactions, with cause and effect and the dangers of being too carefree, than he lets on, especially where Albert’s safety is concerned. Albert outright calls Franz a worrywart, and this behavior is a point of contention between them; though Franz’s compulsive mothering causes Albert to lash out, this doesn’t deter Franz from continuing to do everything he can to protect him, and his innocence. When Albert is kidnapped, Franz loses his cool completely. Though he remained the consummate, cool member of high society up until that point, quick with a witty yet nonchalant quip and a teasing smile, the thought of Albert being harmed causes him to lash out physically at the messenger who brings the ransom, without thought for his own well-being. He spends the entire night desperately attempting to find money to pay Albert’s kidnappers, and is even willing to sacrifice his own pride in order to ensure Albert’s safety-by going to the Count for aid, despite his own feelings. Albert is simply more important to him than that, and he isn’t the sort of person to put his personal preferences above Albert’s well-being.
The source of Franz’s feelings for Albert-and the nature of those feelings-are the most complicated aspect of his personality, and those with which he shows signs of significant struggle. Though they have been best friends ever since childhood, meeting at Franz’s father’s funeral, it is obvious there are some things Franz is unable to bring himself to talk to Albert about. Franz closes himself off from those who are closest to him-Albert and Eugenie specifically-in order to safeguard their happiness; he ends up confiding in Maximilien, whom he has only known for a short while, as Maximilien is a soldier, and capable of protecting himself. His most honest moments are during his conversations with Maximilien, though even then he is unable to speak with complete candor, merely implying the depth of his affection for Albert. That Maximilien is able to intuit what Franz is trying to say is an obvious relief for him; he is not the sort to openly speak about these things, despite how free and easy he appears at first glance.
Though Franz may act callow, and may indeed wish that everyone who meets him believes in that act, he is secretly incredibly passionate about love, and insists on multiple occasions that it is of utmost importance. Not only does he strive to keep Albert safe and panic when he is placed in danger, but he also does all he can to help his ex-fiancée, Valentine, escape the home in which her mother is poisoning her, so that she can be with Maximilien, who has fallen in love with her. Franz believes that it is important for people who love one another to be together no matter what, as he tells Albert, and he risks his own safety in order to put his money where his mouth is by acting rather than simply theorizing.
Franz’s complicated opinions on love are due not simply to the feelings he harbors for his male best friend, but are symptomatic of his class. The members of Parisian high society have separated marriage from love completely, so that marriage itself is akin to a business transaction, completely unrelated to any affection or emotion. Affairs are common enough amongst the nobility, but they appear to be conducted to satisfy carnal desires only, and the multiple examples Franz is given are all seedy and self-serving, again without any connection to love itself. Franz’s friendship with Maximilien reveals his struggle with his upbringing, as Maximilien is the only person Franz is shown to be comfortable speaking openly. It is important to note that Maximilien is not from Paris, but is rather something of a country bumpkin from Marseilles; during the time Franz spends in Marseilles, removed from the hedonistic backdrop of Paris, he is more open about himself and unguarded than at any other point in the series, talking about himself, his past and his family.
As the threat posed by the Count’s continued presence in their lives grows more immediate, Franz begins to act on his suspicions; he is the only one, other than the journalist Beauchamp, to do so, setting him apart his disaffected and directionless peers. At first, he merely attempts to look up the unfamiliar term ‘Gankutsuou’ on a library computer; when that garners no results, he visits another library, and eventually asks Lucien to use his position in the government to aid his search. Franz is unprepared for what he sees deep in the government’s database: the program they’re using self-destructs in order to prevent them from accessing the information they seek, and Franz’s wide-eyed horror reveals how little he has understood of Paris to this point, as well as the suddenness of his revelation. He realizes all at once that much of what he has accepted his entire life has been based on falsification and willing ignorance. Rather than stopping up his ears and refusing to confront the gravity of the situation, Franz insists that he is determined to uncover the truth, even if it changes him-even if he is unable to go back to the person he was before. This maturity is starkly contrasted to Albert’s dogged and child-like faith in the Count, and the two argue again, despite Franz’s unwavering affection. It is clear that he resents Albert’s innocence to some degree, but at the same time, it is likely the one thing in the world that he values most. He pushes Albert away from him, once again distancing him in order to keep him safe. Likewise, he doesn’t confide in Eugenie, despite their continued close friendship, in order to minimize her involvement, and he remains light-hearted during their meetings when talking about Albert, avoiding the topic of the Count as much as possible.
As Franz reveals to Maximilien, one wouldn’t think it to look at him, but he was actually quite studious in his youth, having “hit the books pretty hard,” and he intends to go into diplomacy in the future. His intelligence and keen instincts are shown through his pursuit of the truth, and his ability to solve the riddle that plagues him: Who is the Count of Monte Cristo? Despite the obstacles that stand between him and the answer, Franz is shown to tirelessly search to solve these riddles and break through the intricate cover-up burying the past. Yet even though he is working night and day-ignoring his own health-his desire to shield the innocent is shown once more when Maximilien’s niece and nephew arrive with a bowl of poorly-made snacks to cheer him up. Franz eats them with a smile on face, remarking that they’re delicious and even taking time out from his furious note-taking to bolster their confidence.
When Franz returns to Paris with knowledge of the Count’s past under his belt, it is only to discover he is too late, as Albert has already foolishly challenged the more experienced-and incredibly dangerous-man to a duel. Franz knows that the Count is hell-bent on extracting revenge from Albert and his entire family, and he does all he can to convince Albert to call the duel off, shouting at him and then pleading with him. At last, Franz pretends to resign himself to the fight, but it is only after a moment of intense personal revelation, and resolve. His last moment of childhood is discarded while he sits alone in his and Albert’s secret hideout, he hugs his knees to his chest like a child, head bowed, as he decides to attend the duel in Albert’s place, knowing that he will not succeed and will likely be killed. For Albert’s sake, he is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, though not without provisions-leaving Eugenie a letter to give to Albert on his birthday. Again, he stubbornly protects her and Albert from the truth; he tells Eugenie that they will be celebrating Albert’s birthday together just like they used to, while he spends one last night of carefree fun with Albert, drugging his drink in order to slip away unnoticed. His choices leave him lonely, as he is unable to share his secrets with his best friends, and his final moment with Albert is one of isolation, watching him in darkened silence as he sleeps.
His resolve does not preclude his fear of death, and his screams of fear and agony after first blood is drawn and the Count savagely defeats him are evidence enough of that. Yet, despite that, Franz is still determined not to die in vain, and bravely attempts to pierce the Count through the heart-his one weakness-at the very last. He does all this for Albert’s sake, so that no further harm will befall him. After his death, his letter to Albert reveals the purpose behind his actions. Everything he did was intended to preserve Albert’s innocence, to keep him from hardening his heart to the world and losing his faith in love. It is the same sentiment he expressed to Eugenie earlier: “Listen, whatever happens, don’t forget who you are.” In the end, he lives up to what he once told Maximilien-that marriage isn’t the only way to make the person you love happy, and his legacy of self-sacrifice serves as an example of true love, replacing the legacy of betrayal that haunted the Count in the form of Gankutsuou.