# Book III: The Grandfather and the Grandson explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

This chapter introduces the character of M. Gillenormand, an elderly man of the old regime, and his grandson Marius Pontmercy. It explores their strained relationship, rooted in political and ideological differences, as Marius grows up under his grandfather's care but secretly admires his father, Colonel Pontmercy.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Human Condition and Fate

The chapter explores how family loyalties and political ideologies shape individual destinies, as Marius is torn between his grandfather's world and his father's legacy.

## Character check-ins

### M. Gillenormand

The grandfather, a staunch royalist and man of the old regime, who raises his grandson Marius but disapproves of his father's Bonapartist loyalties.

### Marius Pontmercy

The grandson, who lives with his grandfather but secretly learns to revere his father, Colonel Pontmercy, leading to a growing rift between them.

### Georges Pontmercy

Marius's father, a colonel under Napoleon, who is despised by Gillenormand but becomes a heroic figure in Marius's eyes.

### Mademoiselle Gillenormand

Gillenormand's daughter and Marius's aunt, who lives in the household and is a minor presence in the family dynamics.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/book-iii-the-grandfather-and-the-grandson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters