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Les Misérables, Book 6: The Sleepless Night, Chapter 3 summary

Book 6: The Sleepless Night, Chapter 3 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter

In Chapter 3, Jean Valjean quietly leaves the banquet, listens to Cosette’s happiness from outside, and returns to his empty lodgings. He opens the valise containing her childhood clothes, remembers their life together, and breaks into sobs as her absence overwhelms him.

What happens

  1. Jean Valjean shows Basque his sling, asks him to explain his absence, and quietly leaves the celebration.
  2. He listens beneath the dining room windows, hearing music, laughter, the grandfather, and Cosette.
  3. He follows his customary route home because Cosette has walked that way.
  4. Inside his lodgings, he finds open cupboards and stripped beds; only his own bed remains ready for use.
  5. He opens his valise, arranges Cosette’s childhood clothes on his bed, and recalls bringing her away from Montfermeil.
  6. He buries his face in the clothes and sobs.

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What does Jean Valjean find inside his valise?

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