'Beauty joined to nobility'
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a belleza unida á nobreza da alma, e á superioridade da inteligencia, que impõe respeito aos entes ainda os mais perversos e corrompidos.
in beauty joined to nobility of soul and superiority of intelligence, which commands respect even from the most perverse and corrupt beings.
The source of the 'prestigio' is named as a trinity: 'belleza unida á nobreza da alma, e á superioridade da inteligencia' — beauty joined to nobility of soul and superiority of intellect. Crucially it is the union that compels; beauty alone Leôncio could brutalize, but beauty allied to soul and mind 'impõe respeito' even to 'os mais perversos e corrompidos.' The line is the novel's answer to the ideology of slavery: worth is intrinsic to the person, and even the corrupt cannot wholly deny it.
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