How does chateaubriand affect people

Francois-Auguste-Rene de Chateaubriand was a French nobleman who fled the country when the Revolution started.  From England, he wrote about what was happening in France.  He described how the nation had become unrecognizable, changing so quickly from what it had been to something confused and alienating.  Conspiracy theories were everywhere -- you didn't know who you could trust.  Street names were changed so you wondered where you were.  The whole calendar was changed, so you didn't even know what month it was.  Ancient customs had been obliterated and no one (in his view) really knew where all these new directions were heading.