This paper examines the ways in which late Roman Christian aristocrats used ostentatious displays of asceticism to achieve specific political ends within their communities. It also examines the limits of acceptable asceticism by considering the expulsion of Caesarius from the monastery of Lérins for excessive asceticism. It concludes by showing how Caesarius was able to use this expulsion for political ends by showing he was more ascetic than the local clerical establishment.