Les Misérables, Book 1: The War Between Four Walls, Chapter 16 summary
Book 1: The War Between Four Walls, Chapter 16 of 365 · 13 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 16, two abandoned brothers wander through the closed Luxembourg Garden while gunfire sounds beyond its peaceful grounds, and a comfortable father throws unwanted food to swans. The older brother retrieves the floating pastry and gives the larger share to his younger brother, taking responsibility for his hunger.
What happens
- Two hungry brothers wander through the closed garden, unnoticed by inspectors distracted by the insurrection.
- The narrator contrasts abundant natural beauty with human suffering and criticizes thinkers whose admiration of nature excludes compassion.
- A father and his well-fed son approach the basin, and the father treats the ragged brothers as signs of disorder.
- When his son rejects his brioche, the father throws it to the swans and urges kindness toward animals.
- Alarmed by sounds of fighting and a dark cloud, the father takes his son home.
- The older brother retrieves the brioche with his stick and gives his younger brother the larger portion.
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What to notice
The narrator links genuine understanding to compassion. The father's concern for swans alongside his suspicion of hungry children gives this judgment a concrete example.
Quick check
How does the older brother divide the recovered brioche?
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