# Nocturnal Buyers and Mysterious Sellers explained — Toilers of the Sea

> Chapter companion for Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Two strangers visit the Jacressade at night to purchase a revolver from a Parisian known as Redskin. After haggling over the price, the weapon is sold for six Louis.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Moral Ambiguity

The secretive night transaction and the haggling over a deadly weapon highlight the moral ambiguity and deceptive dealings among the characters.

## Character check-ins

### Captain Clubin

Absent from the Jean Auberge on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, suggesting involvement in the nocturnal transaction.

### The Stranger

One of the two strangers who buys the revolver; he remains in the background and tests the weapon.

## Key lines

> The man took from under his blouse a weapon extremely rare at that period in Europe. It was a revolver.

The man pulled out a revolver, a very uncommon firearm in Europe at the time.

_Describes the novelty of the revolver in the setting._

> I have just brought it from America. Some people bring monkeys, parrots, and other animals, as if the French people were savages. For myself I brought this.

I brought this revolver from America instead of exotic animals like others do.

_The seller contrasts his practical import with the frivolous imports of others._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se/chapters/vii-nocturnal-buyers-and-mysterious-sellers
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se/chapters