# The Zigzags of Strategy explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Jean Valjean, with Cosette, flees through the streets of Paris, using intricate routes and backtracking to evade pursuers. He spots Javert and three other men following him, confirming his fears. The chapter includes a nostalgic authorial aside about the old Paris that has since been transformed.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Human Condition and Fate

Valjean's flight and trust in an invisible guiding force reflect themes of fate and the human struggle for safety and survival.

## Character check-ins

### Jean Valjean

Flees through Paris with Cosette, using evasive tactics; recognizes Javert among the pursuers.

### Cosette

Accompanies Valjean silently, trusting him completely; her past suffering has made her passive.

### Javert

Identified by Valjean as the leader of the four men following them.

## Key lines

> Jean Valjean knew no more where he was going than did Cosette. He trusted in God, as she trusted in him. It seemed as though he also were clinging to the hand of someone greater than himself; he thought he felt a being leading him, though invisible.

Valjean had no plan and relied on divine guidance, just as Cosette relied on him, sensing an unseen hand directing their path.

_Highlights Valjean's faith and the parallel trust between him and Cosette._

> Jean Valjean described many and varied labyrinths in the Mouffetard quarter... he combined in various manners, with cunning strategy, the Rue Censier and the Rue Copeau, the Rue du Battoir-Saint-Victor and the Rue du Puits l’Ermite.

Valjean took a deliberately confusing route through the Mouffetard district, weaving through multiple streets to throw off any followers.

_Illustrates Valjean's strategic evasion tactics._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/i-the-zigzags-of-strategy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters