Les Misérables · Chapter
Babet, Gueulemer, Claquesous, and Montparnasse explained
This chapter introduces four notorious criminals who ruled the Parisian underworld from 1830 to 1835: Gueulemer, a brutish and idle Hercules; Babet, a thin, learned, and versatile con artist; Claquesous, a mysterious, masked figure of the n
What happens
This chapter introduces four notorious criminals who ruled the Parisian underworld from 1830 to 1835: Gueulemer, a brutish and idle Hercules; Babet, a thin, learned, and versatile con artist; Claquesous, a mysterious, masked figure of the night; and Montparnasse, a handsome but deadly young dandy driven by vanity to murder.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The chapter highlights how poverty and the desire for elegance drive Montparnasse to crime, and how the characters live by robbery and violence in the Parisian underworld.
The Human Condition and Fate
The detailed portraits of these criminals explore the dark aspects of human nature, including vanity, brutality, and the descent into evil.
Characters to notice
- Montparnasse
A young, handsome, and elegantly dressed criminal, driven by vanity to murder, with numerous corpses in his past.
- Gueulemer
A brutish, idle Hercules of immense strength, an assassin through coolness, with a low brow and wild boar-like beard.
- Babet
A thin, learned, and versatile criminal who sold plaster busts, extracted teeth, and abandoned his family to 'undertake Paris.'
- Claquesous
A mysterious, masked figure of the night, a ventriloquist who speaks with his stomach and is never seen without his mask.
Key passages
“Montparnasse was a fashion-plate in misery and given to the commission of murders. The cause of all this youth’s crimes was the desire to be well-dressed.”
Montparnasse was a stylish but destitute murderer; his crimes stemmed from his obsession with being fashionable.
Highlights the theme of vanity leading to crime.
“Gueulemer, built after this sculptural fashion, might have subdued monsters; he had found it more expeditious to be one.”
Gueulemer had the strength to conquer monsters, but chose instead to become one himself.
Illustrates Gueulemer's choice of evil over potential heroism.
“Claquesous was vague, terrible, and a roamer. No one was sure whether he had a name, Claquesous being a sobriquet; none was sure that he had a voice, as his stomach spoke more frequently than his voice; no one was sure that he had a face, as he was never seen without his mask.”
Claquesous was an enigmatic and fearsome wanderer; his name, voice, and face were all uncertain, as he used a mask and ventriloquism to conceal his identity.
Emphasizes the mystery and terror surrounding Claquesous.