Les Misérables, Book 5: For a Black Hunt, a Mute Pack, Chapter 3 summary

What happens

1. Jean Valjean chooses the right branch of a fork because it leads toward deserted country rather than inhabited streets.
2. Cosette slows down, so he carries her and repeatedly checks the dark street behind them.
3. Seeing movement behind him, he hurries toward a cross street but finds a dead end to his right.
4. A motionless man guards the open route to his left, making Valjean recoil.
5. The narrator describes Petit-Picpus and explains the streets that surround Valjean.
6. Valjean suspects Javert has blocked his escape and looks upward in despair.

In this chapter

What to notice

The image gathers Valjean’s fears into one picture. Every visible route seems to expose him to capture.

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