Marquis de Sade's "Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue" is a seminal work of philosophical fiction, probing the very nature of good and evil through the travails of its eponymous protagonist. Justine, a young woman striving for virtue and moral purity, repeatedly encounters depravity, injustice, and cruelty at the hands of various corrupt figures. The novel starkly contrasts her unwavering goodness with the pervasive wickedness of the world, serving as a scathing critique of societal hypocrisy and the impotence of virtue in the face of vice. De Sade provocatively argues that virtue often leads to suffering, while wickedness can be rewarded, challenging conventional morality and pushing the boundaries of philosophical discourse on human nature and societal structures.