Les Misérables, Chapter 20: samenvatting

Wat er gebeurt

1. Armed accomplices arrive, and Jondrette reveals that he is Thénardier, whose name carries a sacred obligation for Marius.
2. Marius withholds his pistol signal while the gang overpowers M. Leblanc and ties him to a bed.
3. Thénardier demands two hundred thousand francs and forces the prisoner to write a letter intended to lure his daughter into captivity.
4. Madame Thénardier returns from a false address, and the prisoner breaks most of his bonds and burns himself to demonstrate his resolve.
5. As Thénardier prepares to kill the prisoner, Marius throws in Éponine's written police warning, prompting the gang to prepare an escape.
6. The criminals quarrel over who descends the rope ladder first, and Javert appears in the doorway.

In dit hoofdstuk

Waar je op kunt letten

The question states Marius's central dilemma. His sense of obligation prevents the immediate rescue signal and drives his search for another intervention.

Korte controle