Les Misérables, Book 8: Enchantments and Desolations, Chapter 4 summary

What happens

1. Marius avoids Éponine, but she follows him to Rue Plumet and discovers the loose bar through which he enters the garden.
2. Éponine hides beside the railing until Thénardier and five armed companions arrive and inspect the entrance.
3. She greets her father affectionately and tries to persuade the men that the house offers nothing worth stealing.
4. When they insist on entering, Éponine blocks the gate and threatens to summon help and have them arrested.
5. The men withdraw to discuss her resistance, and Brujon urges them to abandon the attempt because of bad omens.
6. Éponine follows the retreating men to the boulevard and watches them separate.

In this chapter

What to notice

Éponine counters the men’s numerical advantage with her power to summon help. Her threat makes their secrecy and freedom depend on her silence.

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