Les Misérables, Book 1: The War Between Four Walls, Chapter 20 summary

What happens

1. Battle sounds surround the barricade, while the houses on Rue de la Chanvrerie remain shut against its defenders.
2. The narrator explains that an uprising fails when the people refuse support, though fear partly excuses their refusal.
3. He defends individuals’ right to protect their lives but faults revolutionary ideals when they adopt violent methods.
4. He honors defeated fighters, recommends humane reform, and distinguishes popular revolutions from rejected uprisings.
5. He explains that the 1832 insurgents attack royal privilege rather than Louis Philippe personally, seeking freedom beyond France.
6. He links civilization to imagination and science, then describes the narrative’s governing movement as moral and spiritual progress.

In this chapter

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