I dealt with a lot of very senior French military and, after a little while, I’d make a tactical error and use Tu, quickly followed by an apology for such a basic error in my French. It usually worked.
My view (as a Frenchwoman born and raised in France in a well-off but not bourgeois family, and educated at a Catholic convent school) is that it’s more a question of family tradition than of political or religious convictions. I’ve had friends who addressed their parents formally, without being radical Pétainist Catholics at all !
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I see exactly what you mean. I am always surprised, as well, by the non reciprocal tutoiement from higher ranks to lower ranks. A captain aged 30 will happily tutoie a warrant officer aged 50, non reciprocally. It takes getting used to.
I met a Muslim family once, quite traditional, and the children were also saying vous to their parents when they spoke French.
Done that a few times, only to note that I could tutoi them, but the next time we met they stuck rigidly to vous.
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Yes and then decided it was not for her and went to the UK instead.
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It is a strange world with its own rules…
When I was doing French at Uni in the early 70s we had a married couple who were lecturers. The husband told us that they adressed each other as ‘vous’ except in bed!! Apparently it gave an extra ‘frisson’ of excitement!!
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Now that makes sense…
Vous ronflez, très cher!
Kinky! 
I shall have to try addressing Madame as “thou”.
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I suspect the frisson of excitement might be about whether you need to find somewhere else to sleep that night. 
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Luckily she has a sense of humour.
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They were a little strange, it’s true!
Yes. The elderly still use the term VOUS to everyone except children and pet animals. My neighbour, a retired farmer, 82 years old, still uses the term vous to me, even after 27 years as his neighbour, although I always use TU when addressing him. . It’s an age thing.
Not quite as simple as that. For example, I’m not in that age bracket, but will steadfastly stick to vousvoiement with a neighbour I detest.
Well, yes. In that case. It is called for.
Hmm.. possibly depends on what one defines as elderly 
We know lots of folk around us who are in their 80’s/90’s and they quite happily TU us. Fair enough, we’ve been here for more than 20 years and I know they did use Vous for the first couple of years.
Perhaps these elders think of us as “pets” 
they do seem to be very fond of us. 
True in most cases, but people like my neighbour who would do anything to help us, has never used the Tu word. Dunno what he says to his wife though. I am 82 and still rockin’. I have two rock concerts to do, coming up this Saturday. I am also too young for an electric bike! Have a great week y’all.
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When it comes down to it.. I don’t care who uses Tu or Vous so long as we’re all polite, helpful, friendly etc
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