# Book II: The Ship Orion explained — Les Misérables > Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. ## What happens Jean Valjean, having escaped from prison, finds himself in a state of moral and physical exhaustion. He encounters a young boy named Little Gervais and steals his coin, an act that deepens his internal conflict. This chapter explores Valjean's struggle with his past and his desire for redemption. ## Themes in this chapter ### Redemption and Transformation Valjean's theft from Little Gervais triggers a profound moral crisis, setting the stage for his potential transformation. ### Suffering and Sacrifice Valjean's physical and emotional suffering is depicted as he wanders, reflecting the cost of his past and present actions. ## Character check-ins ### Jean Valjean Valjean is on the run after escaping from prison, grappling with his conscience after stealing from Little Gervais. ### Little Gervais A young Savoyard boy who is the victim of Valjean's theft of a forty-sou coin. ## Key lines > He was a child of seven or eight years, a little Savoyard, as they say, one of those little wanderers who go from village to village, playing the hurdy-gurdy, and who are called marmots. Little Gervais is a young Savoyard boy, about seven or eight years old, one of those itinerant children who travel from village to village playing a hurdy-gurdy, known as marmots. _Introduces the character of Little Gervais and highlights the plight of wandering children in the era._ > Jean Valjean felt a shudder; he stopped, looked around, and saw nothing but the vast solitude of the night. Jean Valjean trembled, halted, and scanned his surroundings, finding only the immense emptiness of the night. _Depicts Valjean's moment of fear and isolation after his theft._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/book-ii-the-ship-orion - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters