Les Misérables, Book 7: Patron-Minette, Chapter 3 summary
Book 7: Patron-Minette, Chapter 3 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 3, the narrator introduces four criminals who dominate the Paris underworld, distinguishing Gueulemer’s strength, Babet’s cunning, Claquesous’s secrecy, and Montparnasse’s deadly vanity. Their portraits connect crime with rejected work, concealed identity, and the desire for fashionable ease, rather than describing a shared criminal operation.
What happens
- The narrator identifies four thugs who dominate a hidden level of Parisian criminal life from 1830 to 1835.
- Gueulemer possesses enormous strength but rejects work and becomes a killer.
- Babet combines education, salesmanship, and tooth extraction, loses track of his family, and abandons his occupations for Paris.
- Claquesous conceals his identity through darkness, a mask, ventriloquism, and unexplained appearances and disappearances.
- Montparnasse moves from pickpocketing to murder, driven by his wish to dress elegantly without working.
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What to notice
The narrator explicitly links Montparnasse’s violence to vanity. His elegant appearance does not soften his brutality; the desire to maintain it drives his crimes.
Quick check
What does Claquesous do when someone brings in a candle?
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