ABSTRACT
In schematizations of Benito Pérez Galdós's novelistic output, La familia de León Roch is often categorized as the last of his 'thesis novels'. The names given to the twins Luis Gonzaga and María Sudre in La familia both unmistakeably refer to particular saints, by the addition of a second identifying name in each case. The twins are closely associated in the novel, a closeness reflected by the balance of their long, unwieldy names. In 1729 Aloysius Gonzaga was declared patron saint of youth, and more specifically he is also regarded as a patron of boys and of students. Mary of Egypt is usually said to have lived in the fifth century. The story of Mary of Egypt is usually told through the mediating point of view of a monk called Zósimo, who meets the saint after praying to God that he will meet some holy person during his Lent retreat in the desert.
