# Poverty a Good Neighbor for Misery explained — Les Misérables > Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. ## What happens Marius, now living in the Gorbeau house, spends his days in solitary walks and reverie, having tempered his political passions into a general sympathy for humanity, France, the people, and especially women. He learns from his landlady that his neighbors, the Jondrette family, have been evicted for unpaid rent, and he secretly gives twenty-five francs to cover their debt and provide a small gift. ## Themes in this chapter ### Social Injustice and Poverty The Jondrette family is evicted for owing twenty francs in rent, highlighting the crushing poverty of the urban poor. ### Love and Compassion Marius secretly gives twenty-five francs to help the evicted family, an act of anonymous charity. ### The Human Condition and Fate Marius's reverie and his contemplation of the abyss, shadow, and mystery reflect a philosophical meditation on human destiny. ## Character check-ins ### Marius Pontmercy Marius lives in the Gorbeau house, takes solitary walks, and secretly pays the rent of his evicted neighbors, the Jondrettes. ### Courfeyrac Marius meets Courfeyrac occasionally, though rarely. ### M. Mabeuf Marius seeks out M. Mabeuf, but only twice a month at most. ### Thénardier Referred to as the Jondrette family, the neighbors who are evicted for unpaid rent. ## Key lines > All passions except those of the heart are dissipated by reverie. Daydreaming dissolves every passion except love. _Marius's political fervor fades as he turns inward._ > Our chimaeras are the things which the most resemble us. Our fantasies reveal our true nature more than our deliberate thoughts do. _The narrator reflects on how dreams expose character._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/v-poverty-a-good-neighbor-for-misery - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters