# VIII: In Which the Reader Will Find a Charming Saying of the Last King explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

This chapter explores the character and antics of the Parisian gamin, a street urchin who embodies a blend of mischief, resourcefulness, and defiance. It describes his summer exploits, his coded warnings to fellow gamins about the police, his artistic and literary talents, and his interactions with authority figures, including a notable anecdote where King Louis Philippe helps a gamin draw a pear. The chapter also delves into the gamin's disdain for clergy, his secret desires to overthrow the government and mend his trousers, and his intimate knowledge of Parisian policemen.

## Themes in this chapter

### Revolution and Social Upheaval

The gamin's desire to 'overthrow the government' and his rebellious acts, such as drawing pears (a symbol of Louis Philippe), reflect the undercurrent of revolutionary sentiment in Paris.

### The Human Condition and Fate

The gamin's life of poverty, mischief, and survival on the streets illustrates the human condition in the margins of society, caught between defiance and the harsh realities of fate.

## Character check-ins

### Gavroche

The quintessential Parisian gamin, embodying the spirit of the street urchin described in the chapter.

## Key lines

> One summer evening, when Louis Philippe was returning home on foot, he saw a little fellow, no higher than his knee, perspiring and climbing up to draw a gigantic pear in charcoal on one of the pillars of the gate of Neuilly; the King, with that good-nature which came to him from Henry IV , helped the gamin, finished the pear, and gave the child a louis, saying: 'The pear is on that also.'

One summer evening, King Louis Philippe encountered a small boy struggling to draw a large pear on a gate pillar. The king, displaying the kindness inherited from Henry IV, assisted the boy, completed the drawing, and gave him a gold coin, remarking that the pear was also on the coin.

_This anecdote illustrates the king's populist demeanor and the symbolic use of the pear as a caricature of his rule._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/viii-in-which-the-reader-will-find-a-charming-saying-of-the-last-king
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
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