Five years since their last debate, Macron is the incumbent, whose regular put-downs during walkabouts have done a lot to make him one of France’s most unpopular presidents. Meanwhile, Le Pen knows that she has a relatively low bar to clear: she only needs to do better than her previous performance, and look more sympathique.

Rats crawling under a Périphérique underpass at Porte de Bagnolet. Graffitied cement cubes serving as the bases for traffic lights