Jean Blanc was once a humble and tragic albino peasant, socially despised yet clever and deeply loyal to the noble Treml family. He cared devotedly for his ailing father, tending him tenderly while maintaining an air of apparent madness, hinting at deeper intelligence beneath his facade.

Witnessing Hervé de Vaunoy’s attempt to drown the young heir, Georges Treml, Jean Blanc rescues the child but suffers an epileptic or delirious seizure and, during this lapse, Georges vanishes. Soon afterward, de Vaunoy’s men launch a brutal attack on Jean’s home, resulting in the death of Jean’s father before his eyes and the destruction of their dwelling. Devastated, Jean flees into the forest.

Adopting the alias "Pelo Rouan," Jean becomes a charcoal burner, blending invisibly into forest life. Over the years, he evolves into The White Wolf - the masked, wolf-skinned leader of the Wolves, a band of oppressed peasants opposing the corrupt rule of de Vaunoy. The rebellion is fueled by vengeance and hopes for justice. He continues searching for the lost Georges, while leading rebellious acts of defiance from the forest.

Jean embodies a dual identity: outwardly reserved, innerly fierce. His intelligence hides behind a guise of madness, while his proud sense of duty and grief drive him toward action. As the White Wolf, he anticipates masked vigilante archetypes like Zorro or The Scarlet Pimpernel, becoming a romantic symbol of resistance and rightful sovereignty.

Later in the novel, Georges returns, unaware of his lineage—and is ultimately restored to his inheritance. Jean’s personal arc concludes in vengeance fulfilled (against de Vaunoy) and a personal connection forged via Georges’ marriage to Jean’s daughter, Marie (also known as Fleur-des-Genêts).

* “Le Loup Blanc,” ''Le Courrier français'', 23 Sept.–27 Oct. 1843, reprinted in book form, 1843. ([http://www.archive.org/details/leloupblanc00fv Internet Archive])
** ''The White Wolf'', English trans., 1849.
** ''The White Wolf; or, The Secret Brotherhood: A Romance'', trans. Eugene Plunkett, 1852.
** ''The White Wolf of Brittany'', anon. trans., 1861.

* Wikipedia
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080314205041/http://www.geocities.com/jessnevins/vicw.html Fantastic Victoriana]
*[http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/habitsnoirs.htm CoolFrenchComics/Will There Be Light Tomorrow?]
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