Deposit Your Money in a Forest Rather Than with a Notary explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Redemption and Transformation

  Jean Valjean's careful preservation of the Bishop's candlesticks symbolizes his ongoing moral transformation and the enduring influence of the Bishop's mercy.

• Suffering and Sacrifice

  The hidden fortune represents years of labor and sacrifice, and the expenditure over ten years reflects Valjean's frugal life and hidden suffering.

Characters to notice

• Jean Valjean

  Retrieves his hidden fortune and the Bishop's candlesticks from the Blaru-bottom; learns of Javert's death.

• Javert

  Reported drowned; his suicide is confirmed by a newspaper article.

• Boulatruelle

  Previously seen Jean Valjean in the woods; later inherits the pickaxe left behind.

• Toussaint

  Admires the Bishop's candlesticks placed on the chimneypiece.

• Monseigneur Bienvenu

  His candlesticks are preserved by Jean Valjean and placed on display.

Key passages

• “The sum, six hundred and thirty thousand francs, all in bank-bills, was not very bulky, and was contained in a box; only, in order to preserve the box from dampness, he had placed it in a coffer filled with chestnut shavings.”

  Valjean hid 630,000 francs in banknotes inside a box, which he placed in a chest lined with chestnut shavings to protect it from moisture.

  Describes the careful concealment of Valjean's fortune.

• “In the same coffer he had placed his other treasures, the Bishop’s candlesticks.”

  Alongside the money, Valjean kept the Bishop's candlesticks, his most cherished possessions.

  Highlights the symbolic importance of the candlesticks.

• “The story had been told in his presence, and he had verified the fact in the Moniteur , how a police inspector named Javert had been found drowned under a boat belonging to some laundresses, between the Pont au Change and the Pont-Neuf, and that a writing left by this man, otherwise irreproachable and highly esteemed by his superiors, pointed to a fit of mental aberration and a suicide.”

  Valjean confirmed through the Moniteur that Inspector Javert had drowned himself, leaving a note indicating insanity.

  Reveals Valjean's relief and the official account of Javert's death.