# In Which the Tree with the Zinc Plaster Appears Again explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Boulatruelle, a road-mender and thief, returns to his work after being released from custody due to his drunkenness during the Jondrette ambush. One morning, he spots a man in the forest of Montfermeil and, suspecting a hidden treasure, follows him to a glade with a chestnut tree bandaged with zinc. After a difficult trek, he finds only an empty hole, realizing the man has escaped with the treasure.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Human Condition and Fate

Boulatruelle's obsessive pursuit of a hidden treasure reflects the human struggle with fate and the elusive nature of fortune.

## Character check-ins

### Boulatruelle

The road-mender and thief, recently released from custody, pursues a mysterious man in the forest hoping to find a buried treasure.

## Key lines

> He had just escaped neatly. He had been, as the reader is aware, picked up in Jondrette's garret in company with the other ruffians. Utility of a vice: his drunkenness had been his salvation.

Boulatruelle had been arrested with the other criminals in Jondrette's attic, but his drunkenness saved him from conviction.

_Explains how Boulatruelle avoided punishment due to his intoxication._

> Boulatruelle committed the error of not comprehending this. He believed in the straight line; a respectable optical illusion which ruins many a man.

Boulatruelle mistakenly thought the direct path through the thicket would be fastest, but it took much longer.

_Highlights Boulatruelle's flawed judgment in navigating the forest._

> The hole was empty. 'Thief!' shrieked Boulatruelle, shaking his fist at the horizon.

The hole contained nothing, and Boulatruelle angrily shouted at the vanished man.

_Climax of the chapter showing Boulatruelle's frustration and the failure of his treasure hunt._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/i-in-which-the-tree-with-the-zinc-plaster-appears-again
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters