# Marius' Astonishments explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Marius becomes friends with Courfeyrac and is introduced to the Friends of the ABC at the Café Musain. He is exposed to a whirlwind of new political, philosophical, and literary ideas that unsettle his previously fixed opinions, particularly regarding his father's Bonapartist views and his grandfather's royalist ones.

## Themes in this chapter

### Revolution and Social Upheaval

Marius is introduced to the revolutionary circle of the Friends of the ABC, signaling his entry into political and social upheaval.

### The Human Condition and Fate

Marius experiences an internal upheaval as his worldview is shaken, reflecting the human struggle with changing beliefs and identity.

## Character check-ins

### Marius Pontmercy

Marius is introduced to Courfeyrac's circle and experiences intellectual disorientation as his beliefs are challenged.

### Courfeyrac

Courfeyrac befriends Marius, introduces him to the Café Musain and the Friends of the ABC, and calls him a 'pupil'.

### Enjolras

Enjolras rebukes Courfeyrac for disrespecting Jean-Jacques Rousseau and pronounces 'Buonaparte' instead of 'Bonaparte'.

### Bahorel

Bahorel declares 'Down with tragedy dear to the bourgeois!' during a discussion about theatre.

### Combeferre

Combeferre defends classic tragedy as having a reason for existence, comparing it to a duck in nature.

### Jean Prouvaire

Jean Prouvaire is noted as the only one who sometimes says 'Napoleon' instead of 'Bonaparte'.

## Key lines

> Youth is the season for prompt welding and the rapid healing of scars.

Young people quickly form strong friendships and recover from emotional wounds.

_Describes the rapid bond between Marius and Courfeyrac._

> I must give you your entry to the revolution.

I will introduce you to the revolutionary movement.

_Courfeyrac says this to Marius before bringing him to the Friends of the ABC._

> Silence in the presence of Jean-Jacques! I admire that man. He denied his own children, that may be; but he adopted the people.

Do not speak disrespectfully of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He may have abandoned his children, but he embraced humanity as a whole.

_Enjolras defends Rousseau's legacy despite his personal failings._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/iii-marius-astonishments
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters