Les Misérables · Chapter
VII: The Man Recruited in the Rue des Billettes explained
Enjolras and the insurgents capture and bind Javert, who reveals himself as a police inspector.
What happens
Enjolras and the insurgents capture and bind Javert, who reveals himself as a police inspector. Gavroche identifies Javert as the man who arrested him earlier. Javert is tied to a post and sentenced to be shot ten minutes before the barricade falls, but Enjolras refuses to kill him immediately, asserting they are judges, not assassins.
Themes in this chapter
Justice vs. Law
Enjolras and the insurgents act as judges, condemning Javert not as assassins but as arbiters of revolutionary justice, contrasting with Javert's role as an agent of the state's law.
Revolution and Social Upheaval
The capture of a police inspector within the barricade exemplifies the revolutionary struggle against authority and the breakdown of social order.
Characters to notice
- Enjolras
Leads the capture and interrogation of Javert, asserting the insurgents' moral authority.
- Javert
Revealed as a police spy, captured, bound, and sentenced to death by the insurgents.
- Gavroche
Identifies Javert as the man who arrested him; assists in the barricade and is sent to scout by Enjolras.
- Courfeyrac
Among the insurgents who gather to witness Javert's capture.
- Bossuet
Present with the group that comes running to see Javert bound.
- Joly
Among the insurgents who gather after Javert is tied to the post.
Key passages
““You are a police spy?” “I am an agent of the authorities.” “And your name?” “Javert.””
Enjolras directly accuses the man of being a spy, and the man identifies himself as Inspector Javert.
This exchange reveals Javert's identity and role, leading to his capture.
““Spy,” said the handsome Enjolras, “we are judges and not assassins.””
Enjolras declares that the insurgents will execute justice rather than commit murder.
Highlights the theme of justice vs. law and the moral stance of the revolutionaries.