This book is primarily concerned with themes of justice, vengeance,
mercy and forgiveness, and is told in the style of an adventure story
It is also about: 1) The love story of Maximilian Morrel and Valentine de Villefort. 2) The murder mystery at the house de Villefort. 3) The bandit tale of Luigi Vampa. 4) The troubled upbringing of the son of Bertuccio and his later exploits. 5) The affair between Villefort and Madame Danglars, involving Benedetto, son of Bertuccio 6) The affairs of Eugénie Danglars 7) The youthful exploits of Albert de Morcerf and Franz d'Epinay. Dumas
got the idea for The Count of Monte Cristo from a true story, which he
found in a memoir written by a man named Jacques Peuchet. Peuchet
related the story of a shoemaker named Pierre Picaud, who was living in
Paris in 1807. Picaud was engaged to marry a rich woman, but four
jealous friends falsely accused him of being a spy for England. He was
imprisoned for seven years. During his imprisonment a dying fellow
prisoner bequeathed him a treasure hidden in Milan. When Picaud was
released in 1814, he took possession of the treasure, returned under
another name to Paris and spent ten years plotting his successful
revenge against his former friends.