# The Gropings of Flight explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Jean Valjean, carrying Cosette, flees through the streets of Paris and seeks refuge in a secluded lane. He examines a dilapidated building with a lead pipe and two doors, hoping to find a way inside, but discovers the doors are false or impracticable, leaving him trapped and desperate.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Sacrifice

Jean Valjean's desperate flight and the physical and emotional strain of protecting Cosette highlight the theme of suffering and sacrifice.

## Character check-ins

### Jean Valjean

Desperately seeks a hiding place for himself and Cosette, examining the building's facade and doors.

### Cosette

Accompanies Jean Valjean; he seats her against a stone post and instructs her to be silent.

## Key lines

> In the imminent peril in which Jean Valjean found himself, this sombre building had about it a solitary and uninhabited look which tempted him.

Facing immediate danger, Jean Valjean was drawn to the gloomy, deserted building as a potential refuge.

_Valjean's instinct to hide in the abandoned structure._

> He seated Cosette with her back against a stone post, with an injunction to be silent, and ran to the spot where the conduit touched the pavement.

He placed Cosette against a stone post, told her to stay quiet, and hurried to the drainpipe.

_Valjean's protective yet urgent actions._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/iv-the-gropings-of-flight
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters