All chapters

Les Misérables · Chapter

Book VI: Little Gavroche explained

This chapter introduces the streetwise and resourceful child Gavroche, who lives in the streets of Paris and embodies the resilience and cunning of the city's poorest inhabitants.

What happens

This chapter introduces the streetwise and resourceful child Gavroche, who lives in the streets of Paris and embodies the resilience and cunning of the city's poorest inhabitants. It explores his daily life, his interactions with the city's underbelly, and his role as a symbol of the neglected youth of Paris.

Themes in this chapter

  • Social Injustice and Poverty

    Gavroche's life exemplifies the systemic neglect of children and the poor in Parisian society.

  • The Human Condition and Fate

    Gavroche's resilience and resourcefulness highlight the struggle for survival and the unpredictable nature of fate for the marginalized.

Characters to notice

  • Gavroche

    The central figure of the chapter, a street urchin navigating life in Paris with wit and independence.

Les Misérables — Book VI: Little Gavroche Explained