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This article sets out to understand how an individual might go so far as to fraudulently assume a role synonymous with nobility and grandeur in order to distinguish him/herself. To this end it looks at the little known writings and career of Hippolyte Moussa-Mangoumbel (1856-1912), a native of Gorée, Senegal, who settled in France and who spent the last fifteen years of his life claiming that he was the grandson of the King of the Congo. The article throws light on the sociogenesis of this misplaced ambition and situates it within a historical framework and social space. It thereby tackles the psychological implications of social mobility.