# Treasure Trove explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/ii-treasure-trove
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters