Les Misérables · Chapter
Quadrifrons explained
Marius finds a packet of four letters written in the same hand but signed by different names, all begging for money.
What happens
Marius finds a packet of four letters written in the same hand but signed by different names, all begging for money. He dismisses them as a mystification, but the next morning a young girl knocks at his door.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The letters reveal desperate pleas for charity, highlighting the extreme poverty and social inequality of the era.
Characters to notice
- Marius Pontmercy
Marius discovers the packet of letters and later receives a visit from a young girl.
- Ma'am Bougon
Marius's landlady, mentioned as having previously commented on his lack of possessions.
Key passages
“Marius was too melancholy to take even a chance pleasantry well, and to lend himself to a game which the pavement of the street seemed desirous of playing with him.”
Marius was too sad to find amusement in what seemed like a trick played by the street.
Marius's mood prevents him from seeing the letters as anything but a mockery.
“It was a dull, broken, hoarse, strangled voice, the voice of an old man, roughened with brandy and liquor. Marius turned round hastily, and beheld a young girl.”
The voice sounded like that of an old man ruined by drink, but when Marius turned, he saw a young girl.
The contrast between the voice and the appearance of the visitor underscores the girl's suffering.