Chemical bonds, their intrinsic energies in ground-state molecules and the energies required for their actual cleavage are the subject of this book. The theory, modelled after a description of valence electrons in isolated atoms, explains how intrinsic bond energies depend on the amount of electronic charge carried by the bond-forming atoms. It also explains how bond dissociation depends on these charges. While this theory vividly explains thermochemical stability, future research could benefit from a better understanding of bond dissociation: if we learn how the environment of a molecule affects its charges, we also learn how it modifies bond dissociation in that molecule. This essay is aimed at theoretical and physical-organic chemists who are looking for new perspectives to old problems.