I have two toddlers, so I have seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast a lot; probably about a billion times. It’s a great movie, with good pacing and interesting characters.

If you remember, the primary villain is Gaston, who fixates on marrying Belle and blackmails Belle by putting her father in an insane asylum. Gaston has a lackey named Le Fou, who helps Gaston in his scheme by watching Belle’s house, denounces Belle’s father sanity, and leads a frenzied mob against the Beast’s castle. Le Fou also gives Gaston important emotional support by singing the rousing “Gaston”, where the audience learns that no one shoots like Gaston, and no one goes tromping around in boots like Gaston.

Le Fou gives Gaston unswerving, unquestioning, unfaltering loyalty, EXCEPT for just one moment! Two-thirds of the way through the movie, Gaston bursts into Belle’s house and finds the house empty. Gaston is very disappointed because his blackmail scheme can only work if Bell’s father can be seized by the asylum workers. Gaston grits his teeth, and Le Fou says “Well, I guess it’s not going to work.”

Gaston ignores the moment of dissent, but as an audience member, I can’t stop thinking about it. Why did the Beauty and the Beast writers put in one, single moment of Le Fou dissent? Is the audience supposed to feel that Le Fou feels ashamed of his role in the blackmail? Is Le Fou trying to talk Gaston out of his fixation with Belle, like a buddy character in a modern Bromance movie? Or is Le Fou simply trying to avoid the menial work that Gaston demands in the next scene? (Le Fou must wait in the snow for days until Bell’s father comes back to the house).

My favorite explanation is that Le Fou just doesn't want his friendship with Gaston to change. Le Fou is staring at life with his best friend married, with kids, and doesn't think there will be much time for him. I imagine Le Fou sitting with Gaston someplace undermining Gaston’s confidence in Belle. “Sure, Belle is pretty, but are you sure that she’s really good enough for you?”…”Do you want to marry into that crazy family, the father doesn't even hunt?” “You always said that you wanted to live in Thailand for a year, don’t you think you are rushing into this marriage thing?”

I feel for Le Fou. It’s a painful moment when you feel a friendship breaking apart. Friendships are organic things; they form, grow and dwindle based on forces sometimes out of either person’s control. Without time spent together, a friendship can only be so vibrant. Le Fou is understandably nervous about what life will be like with his friend Gaston married, with kids.

To his credit, though, Le Fou’s misgivings about Gaston’s plans are only temporary. Le Fou rallies for Gaston and stays loyal to Gaston’s dream of marrying Belle, enthusiastically helping to blackmail Belle’s family and attacking the innocent Beast’s castle. Because Le Fou is a friend to Gaston, even if he won’t be one for much longer.