Les Misérables · Chapter
Origin explained
This chapter explores the nature and significance of slang (argot) as the language of wretchedness and misery.
What happens
This chapter explores the nature and significance of slang (argot) as the language of wretchedness and misery. It defends the study of slang as a necessary examination of the lowest depths of society, arguing that to ignore it is like a surgeon turning away from a wound. The chapter discusses how all professions and social classes have their own slang, but true slang is the language of the criminal and the poor—a weapon in their conflict against social order. It calls for compassion toward the chastised and emphasizes the importance of education and light to diminish the 'shady' part of humanity.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The chapter defines slang as the language of wretchedness and misery, born from the conflict between the poor and the social order. It describes poverty as a 'stagnating night' and calls for diminishing the 'shady' part of humanity through education.
The Human Condition and Fate
The chapter reflects on the universal human experience of suffering, suggesting that even the 'happy' face daily sorrows. It ponders whether life itself is a form of punishment and emphasizes the division between the 'luminous' and the 'shady' as the true human division.
Key passages
“Slang is the language of wretchedness.”
Slang is the tongue spoken by those in extreme poverty and misery.
This defines the central thesis of the chapter.
“To diminish the number of the shady, to augment the number of the luminous—that is the object. That is why we cry: Education! science! To teach reading, means to light the fire; every syllable spelled out sparkles.”
The goal is to reduce the ranks of the unfortunate and increase the fortunate, which is why we advocate for education and science—teaching literacy is like kindling a flame, and each word learned shines with light.
This expresses the chapter's call for social improvement through enlightenment.