Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage are the two main characters in Guy de Maupassant's short story Deux Amis ("Two Friends"), originally published in 1882. Monsieur Morissot is a watchmaker and Monsieur Sauvage is described as a draper. The story takes place during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Paris is under siege. These two simple, humble Frenchmen are ardent fishermen and get permission to go on a fishing trip to the outskirts of the city. They are given a password they will need to use to get back into the city. Unfortunately, they run into a contingent of Prussian soldiers and end up being shot because they refuse to divulge the password to the Prussian officer, knowing he would use it to penetrate French defenses. Through Morissot and Sauvage, Frenchmen are represented as peace-loving, sensitive, and inoffensive people, while the Prussians, through the officer, are depicted as ruthless, militaristic, and evil-minded aggressors.
France was defeated and humiliated in this war. They lost territory in the peace settlement and had to pay ruinous reparation fees. Maupassant wrote other stories intended to evoke hatred of Prussians and Germans. His best known story of this type is Boule de Suif.
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