Les Misérables, Book 15: Rue De L’Homme Armé, Chapter 3 summary

What happens

1. Jean Valjean enters quietly with Marius’s letter and checks that Cosette and Toussaint seem asleep.
2. He lights a candle with trembling hands and fixes on Marius’s declaration that he is dying.
3. He rejoices at the prospect of losing his rival and considers withholding the letter from Cosette.
4. His joy turns to gloom, and he goes downstairs to wake the porter.
5. About an hour afterward, he leaves armed and dressed as a National Guard, walking toward the markets.

In this chapter

What to notice

The sentence breaks Jean Valjean’s joyful calculations about Marius’s death. His armed departure follows, though his purpose remains unstated.

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