Herkous, a close relative of Alceste, has very little faith in the human race. He sees nothing but deceit, lies and duplicity. So Herkous is pleasantly surprised when M’Sili brings him back his wallet, which he has lost in the street, pleased when he refuses to accept any reward, and thrilled when he hears M’Sili tell him that he has the face of a monkey. Such a concern for the truth is so rare and so precious that Herkous hires M’Sili straight away! But not all the truth is worth telling, and Herkous soon learns this the hard way. Worse still, for Zina’s sake, M’Sili starts telling “little lies”.