He was known to be an advanced freethinker, a radical, and, perhaps, worse than a radical--a socialist.
He was certainly not very rich, and Lucia's dowry would be an object to him; he would doubtless spend the last copper of the money in attempting to be elected to the Chambers.

If he succeeded, he would represent another unit in that ill-guided minority which has for its sole end the subversion of the existing state of things.

He would probably succeed in getting back the money he had spent, and more also, by illicit means.

If he failed, the money would be lost, and he would go from bad to worse, intriguing and mixing himself up with the despicable radical press, in the hope of getting a hearing and a place.
There is a scale in the meaning of the word socialist.

In France it means about the same thing as a communist, when one uses plain language.
When one uses the language of Monsieur Dramont, it means a Jew.