Les Misérables, Book 2: The Fall, Chapter 9 summary
Book 2: The Fall, Chapter 9 of 365 · 2 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 9, Jean Valjean leaves the galleys with less money than he expects and finds that release does not end his punishment. In Grasse, he works hard unloading bales, but after his yellow passport is inspected, his employer pays him half the usual wage and threatens him with prison.
What happens
- Jean Valjean greets his release with hope, but the restrictions attached to his yellow passport soon darken it.
- He receives one hundred and nine francs fifteen sous and believes deductions from his prison earnings amount to theft.
- The next day, he helps unload bales at a distillery in Grasse and pleases the owner with his work.
- A gendarme checks his papers, requiring him to display his yellow passport.
- The owner pays him fifteen sous instead of thirty and threatens prison when he protests.
- The narrator argues that leaving the galleys does not end a person's sentence.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The narrator states the distinction that Valjean's experience demonstrates. Physical release does not protect him from discrimination or threats of renewed imprisonment.
Quick check
How much does the distillery owner pay Jean Valjean?
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