Les Misérables, Book 6: The Sleepless Night, Chapter 4 summary
Book 6: The Sleepless Night, Chapter 4 of 365 · 7 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 4, Jean Valjean struggles with whether to share Cosette and Marius’s happiness while concealing his past or sacrifice his place beside them. His conscience turns their happiness into a painful moral choice, but the night ends without a stated decision as he remains alone beside Cosette’s clothes.
What happens
- Jean Valjean feels that his repeated struggles with conscience reach a final and especially painful trial.
- He questions whether he can remain beside Cosette and Marius without burdening their happiness with his concealed past.
- He imagines attachment to Cosette as rescue from a shipwreck and separation as a fall into an abyss.
- He weeps and resists the demands of duty while the narrator questions the limits of human self-sacrifice.
- After twelve silent hours, he remains bent over the bed and kisses Cosette’s clothes, with no decision stated.
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In this chapter
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What does Jean Valjean do after remaining motionless through the night?
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