Why does the Bishop refer to the convict as his friend? What do we learn from this behaviour of the Bishop?
This reference to the convict as his friend was in front of the gendarme Sergeant because he did not want the convict to be arrested and imprisoned again. He knew that if he told the Sergeant that the convict had broken into his house to steal food, the convict would have again been imprisoned and ill-treated just like before. This shows that the Bishop was a very helpful and kind person and wanted to reform the convict.