Les Misérables, Book 4: The Friends of the a B C, Chapter 4 summary
Book 4: The Friends of the a B C, Chapter 4 of 365 · 11 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 4, Marius attends a noisy gathering of the Friends of the A B C, where overlapping conversations about love, literature, religion, and politics shake his thinking. Grantaire pours out drunken scorn, while Courfeyrac rejects royal concessions and burns a charter despite Combeferre’s mild defense of it.
What happens
- Marius and Enjolras remain quiet as the gathered friends fill the café’s back room with competing conversations.
- Grantaire drunkenly denounces life, virtue, nations, and war, then ignores Bossuet’s attempt to quiet him.
- Nearby, two writers plan a vaudeville, and a man advises a younger man about a dangerous swordsman.
- Joly and Bahorel discuss their mistresses over dominoes, and Bahorel recommends new trousers to help Joly please Musichetta.
- Jean Prouvaire defends pagan mythology by finding traces of its gods in natural scenery.
- Courfeyrac attacks monarchy and granted charters, then throws the Touquet Charter into the fire as Combeferre calmly watches.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Les Misérables, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Commencez 90 jours gratuitsNothing to pay today. 0,14 USD a day in the first year, then 0,27 USD a day.
In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence captures his rejection of rights granted by a king. His burning of the charter turns that rejection into an action.
Quick check
What does Courfeyrac throw into the fireplace?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Les Misérables, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Commencez 90 jours gratuitsNothing to pay today. 0,14 USD a day in the first year, then 0,27 USD a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
