Les Misérables · Chapter
Book IV: The Gorbeau Hovel explained
This chapter introduces the dilapidated Gorbeau hovel, a setting of extreme poverty and decay.
What happens
This chapter introduces the dilapidated Gorbeau hovel, a setting of extreme poverty and decay. Marius, now living in this wretched place, observes the miserable lives of his neighbors, including the Jondrette family (the Thénardiers in disguise). The chapter explores themes of social injustice, suffering, and the hidden depths of human misery in Paris.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The Gorbeau hovel is a stark symbol of poverty and social neglect, where characters like Marius and the Jondrettes endure degrading conditions.
Suffering and Sacrifice
Marius's voluntary embrace of poverty and the Thénardiers' desperate schemes illustrate the theme of suffering as a daily reality.
Characters to notice
- Marius Pontmercy
Marius is living in the Gorbeau hovel, experiencing poverty and observing the misery around him.
- Thénardier
Thénardier appears under the alias Jondrette, living in the same hovel and plotting.
- Madame Thénardier
Madame Thénardier is also present as part of the Jondrette family, contributing to the squalid atmosphere.
- Éponine
Éponine is mentioned as one of the Jondrette children, living in the hovel.
- Azelma
Azelma is also noted as a child of the Jondrette family in the hovel.
Key passages
“The Gorbeau hovel was a building of a single story, with a mansard roof, and a courtyard, and a garden, and a well, and a stable, and a shed, and a cellar, and a garret, and a kitchen, and a dining-room, and a drawing-room, and a bed-chamber, and a cabinet, and a closet, and a pantry, and a lumber-room, and a cellar, and a garret, and a kitchen, and a dining-room, and a drawing-room, and a bed-chamber, and a cabinet, and a closet, and a pantry, and a lumber-room.”
The Gorbeau hovel is described as a single-story building with many rooms, but all are in a state of decay and disrepair.
This exaggerated list emphasizes the hovel's dilapidated state and the irony of having many rooms yet being a place of misery.
“Marius had not been there a week, when he had already become acquainted with the whole neighborhood, and had made the acquaintance of the Jondrettes.”
Within a week of moving in, Marius had learned about the area and met the Jondrette family.
This shows Marius's rapid immersion into the poverty-stricken community.