9. Begging Was Despised by the Wealthy French
The wealthy residents of Paris did not wish to be reminded of the pervasive poverty and decay in the city. Begging was deeply frowned upon by all ranks of society, but especially hated by the uppermost echelon. Many of the wealthiest residents of France fled to burgeoning suburbs on the far bank of the Seine to avoid having to see the residents of the Court.
Louis XIV developed a police force, by royal proclamation, to deal with the crime and poverty in the Court by any means necessary. The newly created effect imprisoned many residents of the Court for petty crimes, and, in some cases, solely for being poor or ill. Hospitals that used to serve the more impoverished communities were repurposed to house those committed by the police forces.
Lest anyone feel judgmental about 17th century France for this callousness, many modern US cities have panhandling and begging laws in place to prevent anyone from publicly asking for money. New York City famously banned panhandling under mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Other major cities including Des Moines, Iowa currently have bans in place that limit the practice. It seems the dislike of witnessing poverty was not unique to the old French.