Les Misérables: who's who, timeline and places
Everyone in Les Misérables, what happens when, and where, without spoilers: tell us how far you have read and we show only what you already know.
- M. Charles-François-Bienvenu MyrielThe Bishop of D——, whose appointment follows a brief exchange with Napoleon.First seen in chapter 1
- Jean ValjeanA hungry, exhausted traveler whom innkeepers and a householder refuse to shelter in D——.First seen in chapter 15
- FantineA young woman faithfully attached to Félix Tholomyès, whose interest in her is casual.First seen in chapter 29
- CosetteThe child for whom Fantine seeks safe care at Madame Thénardier’s inn.First seen in chapter 37
- Madame ThénardierAn innkeeper at Montfermeil whose daughters’ happiness reassures Fantine about leaving Cosette there.First seen in chapter 37
- ThénardiersAn innkeeping couple described as morally corrupt, with the husband’s military claims open to doubt.First seen in chapter 38
- JavertAn inspector who watches M. Madeleine with suspicion and secretly investigates his past.First seen in chapter 44
- Father FaucheleventAn old enemy of M. Madeleine whom Madeleine rescues from beneath a sinking cart.First seen in chapter 45
- Sister SimpliceA gentle, absolutely truthful nurse whom M. Madeleine trusts while caring for the feverish Fantine.First seen in chapter 55
- GavrocheA poor street boy neglected by his parents who occasionally visits his father Jondrette’s household.First seen in chapter 159
- M. GillenormandA proud man over ninety whose strong health and habits recall another age.First seen in chapter 160
- Marius PontmercyA boy growing up under the rigid royalist influence of Madame de T.’s aristocratic salon.First seen in chapter 170
- CourfeyracMarius’s friend who introduces him to the circle of the Friends of the A B C.First seen in chapter 178
- EnjolrasA revolutionary who assigns his friends the work of checking support for their cause.First seen in chapter 228
- Chapter 2
M. Myriel gives his palace to the hospital and devotes nearly all his salary to charity.
- Chapter 15
Jean Valjean enters D—— hungry and exhausted, but finds himself refused shelter.
- Chapter 26
The Bishop tells the gendarmes he gives the stolen silver to Jean Valjean, securing his release.
- Chapter 36
Fantine and her companions receive a letter announcing that their lovers have abandoned them.
- Chapter 39
The Thénardiers demand increasing payments while dressing Cosette in rags, beating her, and forcing her to work.
- Chapter 49
Fantine sells her hair and two front teeth to meet fraudulent demands for Cosette’s supposed illness.
- Chapter 65
Jean Valjean identifies himself in court and demands Champmathieu’s release.
- Chapter 69
Javert seizes Jean Valjean and refuses him time to fetch Fantine’s child.
- Chapter 101
The unnamed traveler arranges to take Cosette away while Thénardier demands fifteen hundred francs.
- Chapter 106
Jean Valjean and Cosette form a loving bond as he teaches her reading and prayer.
- Chapter 145
Fauchelevent secures admission to the convent for Jean Valjean and Cosette under a false family identity.
- Chapter 175
Marius and his grandfather clash over family loyalty and politics after the discovery of his father’s title.
- Chapter 221
Javert enters the den and has the armed criminals handcuffed despite Madame Thénardier’s resistance.
- Chapter 248
Cosette meets Marius in the garden, where he confesses his enduring love and secret visits.
- Chapter 259
Éponine guards the garden entrance when Thénardier and five companions arrive to rob the house.
- Chapter 269
An uprising spreads through Paris as crowds seize weapons, build barricades, and occupy major positions.
- Chapter 293
Marius finds Éponine dying and learns that she takes a bullet meant for him.
- Chapter 317
Jean Valjean cuts Javert’s bonds and releases him rather than taking revenge.
- Chapter 329
Jean Valjean carries the wounded Marius through Paris’s sewers and discovers that he still breathes.
- Chapter 341
Javert struggles with his decision to free Jean Valjean as mercy destroys his certainty about law and goodness.
- Chapter 350
Marius and Cosette marry amid family joy while Jean Valjean hands over money.
- Chapter 354
Jean Valjean tells Marius his real name and criminal history rather than accept family life under a false identity.
- Chapter 363
Thénardier’s attempted accusations instead prove Jean Valjean’s innocence and identify him as Marius’s rescuer.
- Chapter 364
Cosette and Marius reunite with Jean Valjean, and Marius asks his forgiveness.
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