Les Misérables · Chapter
Treasure Trove explained
Marius, living in the Gorbeau house, encounters two ragged young girls fleeing from the police.
What happens
Marius, living in the Gorbeau house, encounters two ragged young girls fleeing from the police. After they disappear, he finds a package they dropped, which he retrieves. The encounter stirs his melancholy reflections on the contrast between his past happiness and his current grim life.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The encounter with the two ragged, fleeing girls highlights the desperation and vulnerability of the poor, contrasting with Marius's own melancholy.
The Human Condition and Fate
Marius's reflections on the sad fate of the children versus his own lost happiness underscore the universal struggles of human existence.
Characters to notice
- Marius Pontmercy
Marius is the focal character, living in the Gorbeau house, dining out, and reflecting on his lost love and the grim realities around him.
- Ma'am Bougon
Ma'am Bougon is sweeping and muttering about the cost of trouble as Marius leaves his room.
- Éponine
One of the two ragged girls fleeing from the police; the taller one who speaks in slang about the 'bobbies'.
- Azelma
The shorter of the two ragged girls, who echoes her sister's flight.
Key passages
“What is there that is cheap now? Everything is dear. There is nothing in the world that is cheap except trouble; you can get that for nothing, the trouble of the world!”
Ma'am Bougon laments that nothing is affordable anymore, except for trouble, which is free.
This monologue underscores the economic hardship and cynical worldview of the poor.
“There is one thing sadder than to see one’s children die; it is to see them leading an evil life.”
Marius reflects that witnessing children living immorally is even more tragic than their death.
This thought reveals Marius's moral concern and his empathy for the fallen girls.