Les Misérables, Book 4: The Gorbeau Hovel, Chapter 2 summary
Book 4: The Gorbeau Hovel, Chapter 2 of 365 · 3 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 2, Jean Valjean brings the sleeping Cosette into an attic at the Gorbeau house and watches over her with deep tenderness. When she wakes expecting demands for work, his kindness and permission to play turn the poor room into a place of freedom and happiness.
What happens
- Jean Valjean unlocks the Gorbeau house and carries Cosette upstairs to a prepared attic.
- He lays her on a folding bed, studies her face, kisses her hand, and kneels beside her.
- In daylight, a passing cart wakes Cosette, who immediately cries out and looks for her broom.
- She recognizes Jean Valjean, takes Catherine, and asks questions about Paris and Madame Thénardier.
- When Cosette asks whether she must sweep, Jean Valjean tells her to play, and she spends the day happily.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The room's poverty does not determine Cosette's happiness. Freedom matters more to her than comfortable surroundings.
Quick check
What wakes Cosette in the attic?
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