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13A listing of characters from Creator/VictorHugo's ''Literature/LesMiserables'' and their associated tropes. Note that the novel was published in 1862 and thus qualifies for Administrivia/SpoilersOff.
14
15For an index of the actors and actresses who have played in adaptations of ''Les Misérables'' and have their own page on this wiki, see [[UsefulNotes/VictorHugoMediaActors here]].
16----
17[[foldercontrol]]
18
19!!Adaptations
20[[index]]
21* ''Characters/LesMiserables2012''
22[[/index]]
23
24!!Novel
25
26!!!'''Main Characters'''
27
28[[folder:Jean Valjean]]
29!!Jean Valjean/Mayor Madeleine/Ultime Fauchelevent
30
31->''"The galleys make the convict what he is; reflect upon that, if you please. Before going to the galleys, I was a poor peasant, with very little intelligence, a sort of idiot; the galleys wrought a change in me. I was stupid; I became vicious: I was a block of wood; I became a firebrand. Later on, indulgence and kindness saved me, as severity had ruined me."''
32
33The lead character, a convict who spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread and repeatedly trying to escape. After getting his parole ticket, Valjean steals silverware from the Bishop of Digne. When the police arrest him for this, the bishop says the silver was a gift and gives him two silver candlesticks as well, telling Valjean to let go of his anger at society and use the silver to make something of his life. Several years on, Valjean becomes the guardian of young Cosette after making a promise to her mother Fantine.
34----
35* ActualPacifist: In the book, Valjean actively refuses to fight or physically hurt anyone after his encounter with the bishop (even Javert, Thenardier, and everyone on both sides of the barricades). (In the musical and many other adaptations, he is only a technical pacifist.) However, on two occasions, once with Javert immediately after Fantine's death, the second with Thenardier shortly after buying Cosette, he makes it VERY clear that if they make one more wrong move he will go to violence, and that it would be a very bad idea for them. Both back off.
36* AnonymousBenefactor: One of M. Madeleine's pastimes apparently involves breaking into other people's houses – and leaving some money there. At some point, the citizens catch on, and it's no longer anonymous.
37* TheAtoner: After his encounter with the Bishop, Valjean spends the rest of his life trying to make up for his criminal past, often to the point of self-flagellation.
38* BadassBookworm: He becomes exceedingly well-read in his later years. He thinks of books as "cold but sure friends."
39* BadassPacifist: At the barricade, he refuses to take any lives, settling for just tending to the wounded. However, to give the illusion that he's doing something so the rebels won't get angry, he ''does'' pick up a rifle and shoots the hats off of several soldiers- showing he very well ''could'' have killed several of them, had he been so inclined.
40* BeAllMySinsRemembered: He does not believe he deserves even the most basic luxuries because of his criminal past. He eats only black bread and secludes himself in a cold porter's lodge instead of staying in the house with Cosette.
41* BeingGoodSucks: Repeatedly sacrifices his own happiness to do what's right, whether it's denouncing himself to prevent an innocent man from going to prison in his place, or risking his life to save the man his daughter loves, even though he doesn't approve and he believes it means he'll lose her.
42* BenevolentBoss: As M. Madeline, he improved conditions for the factory workers and was incredibly generous to everyone. When he found out that Fantine had turned to prostitution after getting fired from his factory for lying to him, he goes out of his way to help her.
43* BewareTheNiceOnes: Even after he swears off crime, there are two instances where a BerserkButton of his involving Fantine and Cosette gets pressed and he threatens the offending party with violence.
44* BrokenAce: As Madeleine, he is the wealthiest and most beloved man in town. Little do people know of his DarkAndTroubledPast.
45%%BuriedAlive: Happens to him to get in the convent.
46* ButNowIMustGo: Valjean leaves Cosette so his past doesn't taint her marriage to Marius.
47* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: His time in prison has given him strength that is borderline ''superhuman'', being able to lift up a broken cart or scale a wall ''six stories high'' with his bare hands.
48* ChasteHero: The book mentions that he has never fallen in love with a woman in his life.
49* ChronicVillainy: Valjean robs a boy out of habit even though the Bishop's silver is worth more money than he has ever dreamed of. The realization that he enjoys theft horrifies him and convinces him to turn his life around.
50* CriminalDoppelganger: Played with. Champmathieu is also an ex-convict, but unfortunately for everyone involved, he is mistaken for Valjean.
51* DeathByDespair: Valjean takes to his deathbed when Marius takes Cosette from him. It is averted when Marius and Cosette track him down to apologize and reunite with him. (But he still dies.)
52* DeathSeeker: After he finds out about Marius, he turns himself in to Javert, expecting to go back to prison. When this doesn't happen, he ends up essentially neglecting himself to death after Cosette and Marius get married. (Possibly, MilesToGoBeforeISleep or MartyrWithoutACause.) Note this exchange between him and his housekeeper:
53-->"But you ate nothing yesterday, poor, dear man!"
54-->"Certainly I did," replied Jean Valjean.
55-->"The plate is quite full."
56-->"Look at the water jug. It is empty."
57-->"That proves that you have drunk; it does not prove that you have eaten."
58-->"Well," said Jean Valjean, "what if I felt hungry only for water?"
59-->"That is called thirst, and, when one does not eat at the same time, it is called fever."
60-->"I will eat to-morrow."
61* DiseaseBleach: In the novel, his hair turns completely white after he decides to turn himself in to the police.
62* DotingParent: To Cosette. He promises her mother that she would never want for anything, and he delivers.
63* DressingAsTheEnemy: Wears a French National Guard uniform to cross the barricade.
64* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all the trials Valjean goes through throughout the novel and musical, he achieves the redemption he has been fighting for and dies with the knowledge that his surrogate daughter will live in happiness.
65* TheEveryman: His story of redemption is meant to be relatable to everybody, hence his name, which means "Jean, Voila Jean".
66* FakingTheDead: He pulls it off to escape parole in the novel and the anime. For added irony, it is declared by Javert of all people.
67* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Subverted. After being taken in by the Bishop when nobody else would help him, he repays the old man's kindness by stealing silverware from him. When he gets caught, the bishop nevertheless comes to his aid and offers him a pair of candlesticks as well, which is what prompts his HeelFaceTurn.
68* TheFettered: In his later years he draws strength from virtue.
69* GoodIsNotDumb: Although he's a near-MessianicArchetype and grew up in poverty, he's very intelligent. Although the Thénardiers think he's this.
70--> "Thank you both... For Cosette/ '''It won't take you too long to forget.'''"
71* GuiltComplex: In the book, after his encounter with the bishop (and to a great degree after the convent), Valjean develops intense feelings of guilt and unworthiness beyond what is merited by his crimes. This leads to strange, unhealthy behavior such as living in a little shed even though he has a house (for Cosette and his housekeeper), keeping his shed unheated and eating bad food.
72-->"Father, I am very cold in your rooms; why don't you have a carpet here and a stove?"
73-->"Dear child, there are so many people who are better than I and who have not even a roof over their heads."
74* HadToComeToPrisonToBeACrook: Before going to prison, Valjean is just a hardworking kid trying to keep his head above water and his family from starving. One petty crime leads to 5 years of hard labor, which snowballs into 19 years. Valjean comes out of prison with far more animosity and criminal leanings than he went in with. Moreover, his status as a parolee makes finding honest work prohibitively difficult, and he very quickly finds himself resorting to theft again.
75* HeadInTheSandManagement: In the musical adaptation, he leaves most of the day-to-day affairs of his garment factory to his lecherous foreman. This leads to Fantine getting fired.
76* HeelRealization: Has one when Bishop of Digne lets him go with the candlesticks -- struck by the Bishop's act of forgiveness, he repents and becomes a good man.
77* TheHeroDies: The book, the play and (usually) the movies end with him on his deathbed.
78* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In prison, after contemplating how unjust the circumstances of his imprisonment were, Valjean starts entertaining vague revenge-on-society fantasies. This is what initially motivates him to learn to read.
79* HonestCorporateExecutive: A successful one, thanks to his new cheap method of manufacturing black jet, until his conscience forces him to abandon his business in favour of saving Champmathieu.
80* IconicOutfit: The national guard uniform he wears to get in to the barricade in the musical.
81* IHaveManyNames: To take directly from Wikipedia's page, "Jean Valjean: a.k.a. Monsieur Madeleine, a.k.a. Ultime Fauchelevent, a.k.a. Monsieur Leblanc, a.k.a. Urbain Fabre, a.k.a. 24601, a.k.a. 9430."
82* IJustWantToBeFree: Much of the story revolves around him escaping from the law.
83* IJustWantToBeLoved: Love from Cosette essentially saves his life, and being separated from her kills him.
84* ILetGwenStacyDie: He never forgave himself for Fantine's death, thinking it could have been avoided as she was his employee.
85* ImprobableAimingSkills: A really, really skilled shot, especially considering the level of accuracy of the firearms in this era.
86* ItWasAGift: The candlesticks the Bishop gives Valjean despite the fact that Valjean just stole his silverware the night before. This act of generosity spurs Valjean's new life. He never sells the candlesticks and they're still with him as he dies. He specifically leaves them to Cosette.
87--> '''Jean Valjean:''' ''(on his deathbed)'' They are of silver, but to me they are gold, they are diamonds; they change candles which are placed in them into wax-tapers. I do not know whether the person who gave them to me is pleased with me yonder on high. I have done what I could.
88* JayWalkingWillRuinYourLife: Spending nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread took its toll on Valjean.
89* LoadBearingHero: Valjean saves a man trapped under a heavy wagon by single-handedly raising it up, but it has serious consequences since Javert witnesses the event.
90* LonelyAtTheTop: Valjean as mayor. All his good deeds were acts of penance instead of charity. Half the town only liked his generosity, the other half were suspicious of his intentions. It is true that he only learned to love when he adopted Cosette.
91* MeaningfulName: As stated above, "John's as good as any other John." His alias, Madeleine, is derived from Mary Magdalene (Marie-Madeleine), the repentant sinner.
92* MessianicArchetype: He's kind, generous, forgiving, loving, self-sacrificing, etc. In the musical, Fantine and Fauchelevent both tell him directly that he comes from God, and Fauchelevent and Marius both call him 'a saint'.
93* MustMakeAmends: ''All the time''. Nearly every action he makes post-Bishop of Digne is to atone for his criminal past.
94* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After he steals the bishop's silver after the latter showed him mercy. In the musical, the song even opens with (and is titled) "What have I done?" and continues with "Sweet Jesus, what have I done?" He later has a similar moment when Fantine tells him that leaving her to the foreman got her fired. "Is it true what I've done?/To an innocent soul?"
95* ParentalSubstitute: He's a substitute father to Cosette, per his promise to Fantine to care for her.
96* PrisonsAreGymnasiums: Thanks to WorkingOnTheChainGang, his time in prison gave him tremendous strength.
97* RealMenLoveJesus: A devout French Catholic. His redemption is driven by his faith in God, and the mercy a priest shows him. The musical contains the following lines:
98-->'''Valjean:''' My soul belongs to God I know, I made that bargain long ago. He gave me hope when hope was gone, he gave me strength to ''journey on!''
99* ReformedButRejected: All his good deeds get negated when his past gets brought up.
100* RepetitiveName: '''Jean''' Val'''jean'''
101* SecretlyWealthy: Has around 600,000 francs hidden in a forest. They don't call him "the beggar who gives alms" for nothing.
102* SelfMadeMan: As Madeleine, becoming a rich man and factory owner (and eventually mayor), starting out with nothing but his modest prison wages and a set of silverware.
103* SparedByTheAdaptation: In many of the English language films, if they end around Javert's suicide.
104* SuperStrength: He's very strong. Seeing Madeleine lift a cart raises Javert's suspicions of Madeleine since Valjean was the only person he knew strong enough to pull something like that.
105* TechnicalPacifist: Alongside his new lease on life, Valjean seems to have taken on an aversion to killing. Even in the midst of a bloody revolt, he refuses to take a life.
106* TragicHero: His is TheGreatestStoryNeverTold. Is implied no one's visited his grave in a long time. We could just hope his example is passed to Cosette and Marius.
107* TurnTheOtherCheek: Valjean is a master at this. The standout example is when he spares Javert's life at the barricade, despite the fact that he's spent years running away from him.
108* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Valjean's decision to help Javert escape sets up the man's suicide.
109* WalkTheEarth: Since he is a fugitive, he has to keep moving when the police get too close.
110* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Early in the story, Valjean actually has a chance to send someone else in his place to jail due to a case of mistaken identity, but he could never live with such a decision.
111* WifeHusbandry: Seems to consider doing this for a split second at one point. Probably fortunately for all involved, the idea just as quickly grosses him out. Some adaptations play this up a little more, particularly the 2000 TV miniseries, whose Valjean comes off a little creepy.
112* YankTheDogsChain: He believes himself safe in his new identity as Madeleine, only for Javert to make the whole thing crumble and put Valjean in front of the terrible choice of going back to prison or letting an innocent go to prison in his place.
113* YouAreNumberSix: Javert refers to him by his prison number name, usually "24601".
114[[/folder]]
115
116[[folder:Javert]]
117!!Inspector Javert
118->''"You speak now like a brave man and an honest man. Courage does not fear crime, and honesty does not fear authority."''
119
120InspectorJavert is a guard in the prison Jean Valjean is released from, who later joins the Paris police force. In the musical, he infamously makes it his life goal to track down Valjean, but in the original novel he is really no more dedicated to catching Valjean than to dealing out justice to any other criminal. In fact, [[ContrivedCoincidence he runs into Valjean several times through pure coincidence and fails to recognize him]].
121----
122* AdaptationalAttractiveness: He is described as having a flat nose and thin, pinched lips that, along with his furrowed brow and thick sideburns, give him a permanent visage of 'unyielding, cruel authority'. Some of the most well-known adaptations have had Creator/PhilipQuast, Creator/AnthonyPerkins and Creator/RussellCrowe play the role. There are many notably attractive actors who've played him in stage adaptations, such as Hadley Fraser and Norm Lewis.
123* AdaptationalVillainy: In the novel, he's a good person at heart, but too morally inflexible to truly be a hero. In the various adaptations, he's more of a straight villain.
124* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the anime, Javert overcomes his belief that no one can change and aids Marius when Thénardier tries to blackmail him. This also means [[spoiler:he doesn't [[SparedByTheAdaptation kill himself at the end of the story.]]]]
125* AllCrimesAreEqual: To Javert, all criminals deserve his scorn. Those who steal or kill out of desperation are no different than murderers and rapists who do it simply for enjoyment.
126* AmbiguouslyBrown: Hugo gives few subtle hints in his description of Javert's past which suggest he might be mixed-race, including possibly part UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}, but since the subject of his parentage is never mentioned again, it's debatable whether it is {{canon}} or a case of LostInTranslation. He's unambiguously black in the 2018 miniseries as well as the 25th anniversary of the musical.
127-->Javert had been born in prison, of a fortune-teller, whose husband was in the galleys. As he grew up, he thought that he was outside the pale of society, and he despaired of ever re-entering it. He observed that society unpardoningly excludes two classes of men,—those who attack it and those who guard it; he had no choice except between these two classes; at the same time, he was conscious of an indescribable foundation of rigidity, regularity, and probity, complicated with an inexpressible hatred for the race of bohemians whence he was sprung.
128* AntagonistInMourning: In the anime, Javert visits Valjean's grave when he dies.
129* AntiVillain: [[InspectorJavert Like all those after him]], [[WellIntentionedExtremist he is the well-intentioned variety]]. He believes in the infallibility of the law and works to uphold this at all costs.
130* BadassBoast:
131** In the anime, when Javert arrests Thénardier for the second time, he practically vows that if the latter breaks out of prison again and again, he will just send him back until he repents.
132** From the book: Thénardier points a gun at him and then Javert says: "Shoot! Your gun will misfire!" Naturally, it does. In one of the Russian radioplays he also adds: "I told you so. A gun aimed at Javert never fires."
133** From the musical: "You know NOTHING of Javert!"
134* BadassLongcoat: Owner of a very nice black trenchcoat, and is the terror of criminals everywhere.
135* BerserkButton: He's obsessed with putting Valjean behind bars for robbing Petit Gervais, and when he suspects Thenardier of selling a child at his home to a known fugitive from the law, Thenardier is afraid that Javert will extend his investigation to all of his corrupt business dealings, and he has to make up a lie on the spot to get rid of him. Most crimes are equal in his book, but to him, child abuse of any sort is the absolute worst, especially if he finds out about it.
136* BewareTheHonestOnes: Javert is absolutely forthright in his approach. He doesn't lie and he is incapable of being bribed, coerced, threatened or pleaded with. It's part of what makes him so dangerous.
137* BigDamnHeroes: In the book (and the anime), he rescues Valjean (whom he didn't recognize at the time) from Thenardier's knife, complete with a witty one-liner.
138--> '''Javert''': [[ItMakesSenseInContext Would you like my hat?]]
139* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: When Jean Valjean proves this belief system wrong, Javert is incapable of accepting it and kills himself in the process.
140* BloodKnight: Shows tendencies of this in the book when he is chasing after Valjean. He repeatedly lets him go and closes in on him again for the thrill of the hunt, and the narrative describes him as being incredibly "excited", looking at Valjean "fondly", and "[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything in ecstasy]]".
141* BornLucky: It's mentioned that he has tremendous good luck. This is part of the reason why criminals are so afraid of him.
142* BrokenAce: Is described as being "bathed in glory" but is so morally inflexible that one tug and he unraveled.
143* BSODSong: "Javert's Suicide," which doubles as a SanitySlippageSong.
144* ByTheBookCop: Serious, competent, and follows his BlackAndWhiteMorality code to a T. Even so, he refuses to arrest Valjean without proof, which frequently ends up giving him time to skip town due to the delay.
145* CelibateHero: No matter the adaptation, he never shows any interest in anyone. The novel seems to suggest that he finds such a thing distracting, so he completely eschews it. Despite his prestigious position, he's still a bachelor well into his fifties.
146* CharacterExaggeration: In the musical, Javert is completely obsessed with finding Valjean, while in the novel, it is more about his loyalty to the law.[[note]]Reference: Character Exaggeration page, under "Theater."[[/note]]
147* CharacterTics: Javert has a very strange laugh/smile, which [[TheUnsmile contorts his face in a frighteningly feral way]]. Also, his penchant for snuff.
148* CluelessDetective: In many, if not most, adaptations. Note that in the book, he was [[TheAce just about the exact opposite of this]].
149* DeathBeforeDishonor: The normally unflinching Inspector is left bewildered when Jean Valjean - who he had believed was an immoral ex-con - spares his life and risks his own to save a young man. For the first time, Javert finds himself [[ToBeLawfulOrGood unable to act lawfully and morally at the same time]]: arresting Valjean would be an unjust act, but letting him go free would be a breach of the law Javert values above all else. With his worldview in tatters, the inspector despairingly jumps into the Seine.
150* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the lawful character who is uncompromising in both his values and the system he enforces. Javert's moral principles would have made him an admirable hero in another story. But here, he is enforcing a flawed and corrupt system that ruthlessly clamps down on those like Valjean and Fantine who suffered under it and refuses to extend them any sympathy or understanding, reasoning that they must be deserving of their suffering. His uncompromising values also give him a BlackAndWhiteInsanity that is so rigid that he chooses to commit suicide when upon realising that the world isn't so black and white as he grew up to believe.
151* DefectiveDetective: Likely due to his workaholic tendencies, Javert is not generally the most well-liked or sociable guy.
152* DefiantToTheEnd: After his real identity is exposed by Gavroche, he doesn't beg for mercy or try to run, choosing instead to make clear his disdain and contempt for the rebels. The "end" part ends up being subverted, since Valjean chooses to spare his life.
153* {{Determinator}}: If you're a criminal, he ''will'' turn you in. Taken to the ImplacableMan trope in some versions of the book.
154* DressingAsTheEnemy: Javert goes undercover to destroy the revolutionists, but is ratted out when Gavroche sees through his PaperThinDisguise.
155* TheDreaded: Amongst the various dispossessed of France.
156-->"Javert was the terror of that whole class which the annual statistics of the Ministry of Justice designates under the rubric, Vagrants. The name of Javert routed them by its mere utterance; the face of Javert petrified them at sight."
157* DrivenToSuicide: After Valjean spares his life twice in a row, Javert becomes confused by his enemy's kindness and his own beliefs, leading him to take a plunge into the Seine.
158* FaceDeathWithDignity: When he is found out by the students, he is calm. When he is about to commit suicide, he is not.
159* FemmeFatalons: Implied by him describing himself as having "the claws of a woman."
160* TheFettered: Is motivated by honor and justice most of all.
161* FreudianExcuse: The reason for Javert's extremely harsh black and white worldview and his complete inability to relate to other people. The trope is very interestingly used in Javert's situation, as he was born in prison the child of a fortune teller and a thief, but completely rejects the idea that circumstances rather than evil nature can explain crimes, possibly because, since he raised himself from the gutter with his integrity and dedication, he can't see why any good person in dire straits wouldn't be able to do the same.
162* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Javert's central belief is that circumstances are irrelevant and evil actions are attributable to nature rather than any other reasoning. He eventually learns things aren't as simple and takes it badly, to say the least.
163* FriendlyRivalry: Apparently, with Gavroche in the 2012 film. When Valjean asks to execute Javert, Gavroche lets him have a pistol but looks distressed, and Javert is [[AntagonistInMourning aghast to discover]] Gavroche among the dead after the battle. His reaction may also have do with the fact Gavroche is a child, though.
164* FromNobodyToNightmare: The most formidable policeman in France began his life in jail, as the child of a fortune-teller and a thief.
165* GoodIsNotNice: He is law-abiding, justice-seeking, completely incorruptible and is as harsh on himself as he is on criminals. But he is not kind and has no sympathy at all for lawbreakers.
166* HeelRealization: Javert finally realizes he's been enforcing a brutal system of justice, that those he sees as evil are simply flawed humans and just how unfair the system he's devoted himself to is and is completely unable to handle it, taking his own life.
167* HeroAntagonist: His uncompromising nature aside, there is next to nothing even remotely villainous about him.
168* HeroOfAnotherStory: Almost surely. Presumably when he's ''not'' hunting down Valjean, he's chasing down and arresting muggers, arsonists, rapists, and murderers. Considering the tenacity, integrity, and courage he shows in dealing with Valjean, he's probably very good at it too.
169* HonorBeforeReason: When Javert accuses the mayor Madeleine of being Valjean and is informed Valjean is already in custody, he doesn't just apologize or resign. He goes into the mayor's office and asks to be dishonorably fired for making such a grave mistake. Madeleine asks him to keep his job, because he's too much of an honorable man to lose (and also because he was right).
170--> "If I were not severe towards myself, all the justice that I have done would become injustice."
171* HotBloodedSideburns: Is described as having thick sideburns, and while he is mostly cold and serious about his work, can get extremely hot-blooded and bestial in his pursuit of Valjean.
172* {{Hypocrite}}: Averted. For all his flaws, Javert makes a point of being just as harsh towards himself as he is on others and even believes doing so is the only way his pursuit of justice can be seen as pure.
173* IAmTheNoun: Javert likes to emphasize that "[he] is the law" in the musical.
174* InspectorJavert: TropeNamer. He won't give up on arresting Valjean, as he doesn't believe Valjean can change.
175* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand: To Valjean. He does not take it well when Valjean chooses the latter.
176* KnightTemplar: Believes in justice, clean-living, and the law. Unfortunately, this also means that he believes in absolute justice without reason or mercy.
177* LackOfEmpathy: To those deemed criminals by the justice system. In Javert's mind, if you broke the law, regardless of circumstances or your remorse or even serving your time in prison fair and square, you deserve every bit of punishment reigned down upon you, no ifs, ands or buts, and he will not extend even the slightest understanding or leeway to you.
178* LawfulStupid: Almost literally. It is mentioned that Javert avoids reading and introspection except in moderation because he is afraid of getting seditious ideas in his head. His enforced ignorance helps to explain why he still believes in the infallibility of the law after having lived through the chaos of the Revolution and the many regime changes it brought about. But averted when it comes to street smarts, for he is still a sharp-eyed and competent police officer.
179* MarriedToTheJob: Javert's absolute devotion to his work has left him without any interest in romantic relationships or even simple friendships.
180* NervesOfSteel: Sort of. No danger can shake his cool, calm reserve: he'll arrest an armed gang with a [[TechnicallyASmile grin]] and a barrage of [[DeadpanSnarker pithy one-liners]], stare down the barrel of a gun and (accurately) predict it will misfire, duck hurled paving stones, and face his execution at the hands of angry revolutionaries with equanimity. Show him ''mercy'' when he's not expecting it, though, and it's a [[HeelRealization whole]] [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity different]] [[DrivenToSuicide story]]...
181* NoFullNameGiven: He's only ever called "Javert", which is his surname. A popular joke is that [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep his first name is simply "Inspector"]].
182* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: In the book, he is described as being extremely touchy-feely. He stands uncomfortably close to others when talking to them, especially Valjean, and fiddles around with his possessions (such as the wooden shavings on his desk) subconsciously. When he meets Valjean for the final time, he also brings his face uncomfortably close to his.
183* NoSympathy: Javert's FatalFlaw is that he's entirely unwilling to identify with people who are on the outs with law and authority through no fault of their own, particularly illustrated in the cruel way he treats Fantine. It's heavily implied that this is a coping mechanism for Javert's own feelings of being an outcast, whose only hope of avoiding the fate of his parents is to cling tightly to the law.
184* NotSoStoic: After Jean Valjean saves his life, he's notably emotional and conflicted about the whole ordeal.
185* ObliviouslyEvil: Javert is absolutely convinced of the sanctity of the law and that the institutions he serves are above reproach and so any person suffering under them is fully deserving of their fate. It's the realization that things are not as simple as that that causes him to take his own life.
186* OnlyOneName: It's never told in the book if Javert is his first or last name, or if he even has any other name beside it. When the rebels find his identification card on him at the barricades, it just reads "JAVERT, inspector of police, aged fifty-two." It's possible that, due to despising his parents and being a ChasteHero well into his fifties, he simply has no use for a surname.
187* OralFixation: Snuff. The narrator snarks that, "This proved he was human."
188* PaperThinDisguise: His disguise as a revolutionary was easily seen through by a child. This was exaggerated in adaptations such as the comic series, which has him wearing a cap -- and suddenly nobody recognizes him, except for said kid.
189* PetTheDog: In the 2012 adaptation, he leaves his medal on Gavroche's dead body.
190* PolicemanDog: Metaphorically. He's compared to a dog raised by wolves in his first appearance to underscore how he is a fanatically dutiful protector of law in contrast to his criminal family.
191* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Towards Mme. Thenardier, when she was trying to crush him with a large rock.
192--> '''Javert:''' What a grenadier! Mother, you may have the beard of a man, but I have the claws of a woman. ''(proceeds to casually arrest her and her husband)''
193* PrinciplesZealot: Don't bother trying to convince him that you're a JustifiedCriminal. He is ''not'' going to be swayed from his stance.
194* PureIsNotGood: Incorruptible, selfless, and chaste - and nigh monstrous as a result.
195* RagsToRiches: He goes from the son of a gypsy and a galley slave to the most respected police inspector in France.
196* RedemptionEqualsDeath: His finally understanding Valjean's kindness and gaining a less black-and-white worldview confused and depressed him so much he drowns himself, but not before writing a letter to the rest of the police about [[PetTheDog what needs to be changed to make France a better place for everyone to live]].
197* SelfMadeMan: He started out as the son of a fortune-teller and a galley slave, born in a prison. He eventually becomes a high ranking police officer and the most feared lawman in Paris. This is especially impressive if he really is of Roma descent (see AmbiguouslyBrown)- 19th century western Europe wasn't a place known for its good treatment of racial and ethnic minorities.
198* ShootOutTheLock: In episode 3 of the 2018 miniseries, when he's searching for Valjean he does this.
199* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the 2007 anime, he turns back at the last moment before committing suicide.
200* SternChase: Javert never gives up the chase to get Valjean. This is only the case in adaptations, however. In the novel, his continued pursuit of Valjean is simply occasioned by a series of [[ContrivedCoincidence coincidences]].
201* StrawmanPolitical: Javert's entire character is a parody of the political and moral philosophy of Joseph de Maistre, an anti-rationalist who believed that all order and authority in France was divinely ordained.
202* TheStoic: He's essentially a straight-faced rock in most of his appearances. Although it's debatable how stoic he is on the inside, as his fanaticism gives him a fiery side. He kind of has a fire and ice personality.
203* TallDarkAndSnarky: He is described as tall, wears a black coat, and is a DeadpanSnarker. He is also often portrayed as having black hair and slightly tanned skin, due to his implied half-Roma heritage.
204* ThatOneCase: Most likely the reason he keeps going after Valjean, a notorious fugitive who had to fake his death to assume a new identity.
205* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Arresting Valjean (as the law states) vs. letting him go (good). The idea that it's possible to be lawful but not good and vice versa is so alien to Javert it leaves him DrivenToSuicide.
206* TragicHero: A good and honorable man DrivenToSuicide when he finds himself unable to reconcile his unyielding belief in justice and the law with the moral ambiguity of the real world. His death is portrayed as unambiguously tragic.
207* VillainProtagonist: The story is about him just as it is about Valjean, particularly their conflicting views on redemption and empathy.
208* VillainousBreakdown: He ''flips'' when Valjean spares him and spirals into suicide. Averted, since he is technically a good person during his breakdown.
209* VillainousRescue: He ends up rescuing Valjean and Marius from Thenardier's gang, easily arresting the violent criminals in the process.
210* WhatTheHellHero: Valjean lands one on him after Fantine's death. "You have killed this woman." Notably, this is the first of two times since his encounter with the Bishop that Valjean threatens violence on anyone. He's just ''that'' pissed off about how Fantine met an untimely end because of Javert.
211* WideEyedIdealist: His devotion to law and order includes the belief that no court judgment is ever wrong, no official is ever corrupt, and no law is ever unjust.
212%%%* WillNotTellALie: In the book, at least.
213* WrongGenreSavvy: He is unshakably convinced that he is a brave and noble police officer serving a just system who is simply doing his duty in punishing society's bottom feeders.
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Fantine]]
217!!Fantine
218->''"Six months to earn seven sous a day! but what will become of Cosette! My daughter! My daughter!"''
219
220A single mother, Fantine suffers through life trying to earn money to send to her daughter Cosette, under the care of the Thénardiers. After losing her job, her beauty, and her dignity, Fantine dies in a hospital -- but not before Jean Valjean appears with the promise to find and care for Cosette until his death.
221----
222
223* TheAlcoholic: Some adaptations have her getting addicted to drink as part of her downward spiral.
224* BarefootPoverty: As a child, as she was homeless and orphaned, she walked around barefoot.
225* BreakTheCutie: She starts out as TheIngenue, but ends as a BrokenBird.
226* BreakoutCharacter: Fantine got so popular that a painting was made of her.
227* BrokenBird:
228** By the time Valjean rescues Fantine, she has sold her hair, some of her teeth, her clothes, and took up prostitution to get money for Cosette and is on the edge of sanity. Best punctuated by "I Dreamed a Dream".
229--->'''Fantine:''' ''I had a dream my life would be / So different from this HELL I'm living!''
230** Lampshaded by her suitor Tholomyes, who noted that Fantine was a "dreamer". When he [[InnocenceLost abandons her, pregnant with their child]], her fall begins.
231* ButtMonkey: One of these most known in literature.
232* ChekhovsGun: Fantine's hair and teeth which are her best features are sold to provide money for Cosette.
233* DeathByDespair: Fantine already developed an IncurableCoughOfDeath from living in poverty, but shows signs of improving when Monsieur Madeline takes her to a hospital and promises to fetch Cosette from the Thenardiers on her behalf. When Javert barges into her room, announcing Madeline is the convict Valjean who would never keep his promise. Fantine's last hope shatters and she drops dead from shock.
234* DecoyProtagonist: In the book and most adaptations, she gets an extremely heavy amount of focus in the early parts of the story. The first volume of the novel is even titled after her. Then she dies rather abruptly.
235* DefiledForever: Nobody looks at her twice once they discover that she has an illegitimate daughter, believing her to be this trope. This is the beginning of her downward spiral.
236* DemotedToExtra: In the 1972 mini-series, she's got only a tiny role.
237* DiesWideOpen: And Valjean closes them.
238* DiseaseBleach: After she cuts her hair, what's left of it turns gray.
239* DoomMagnet: Nothing seems to go right for Fantine. She grows up an orphan, in her naivete bears an illegitimate child thanks to a man who leaves her, and is fired from her job when this is discovered -- all the while thinking her daughter is being well-cared for, when in reality she's being abused. The rest of her life consists of her taking extreme measures in order to provide for Cosette, culminating in her death.
240* DoorstopBaby: She was found and named by a stranger who found her wandering barefoot in the streets as a child.
241* DotingParent: To Cosette, as much as she could. All of her efforts are devoted to ensuring Cosette is well-cared for.
242* EternallyPearlyWhiteTeeth: The narrator explicitly points out that she has great teeth a few times. Makes the fact that she rips a few of them out herself with pliers even more cringe-worthy.
243* EtherealWhiteDress: In the musical, she's in white on her deathbed and when she takes Valjean to heaven.
244* TheFool: She starts out innocent and naive, [[BreakTheCutie until she isn't]].
245* GoOutWithASmile: In the musical, it was instead too late to save her but she dies happy knowing her daughter will be cared for.
246* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She starts out sweet, innocent and virginal. Alas, life is not so kind to her.
247* HeroWithBadPublicity: Her reputation is posthumously soiled by her association with Valjean.
248* HeroicBastard: Unambiguously a good person, even though nobody knows who her parents are.
249* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: She becomes a prostitute for her daughter's sake.
250* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: All of Fantine's misfortunes can be traced back to her being too trusting of people. First, she has a child with a man she believes is her true love, but leaves her once he tires of her. Then she places Cosette in the care of criminals that enslave the little girl while they bilk Fantine to nothing.
251* ImColdSoCold: Her "the night grows ever colder" line could be interpreted as this.
252* MamaBear: She adores Cosette with her life, and gives up everything for her.
253* MeaningfulName: From "enfantine," [[TheFool childish]].
254* TheNotLoveInterest: In the book, musical, anime, and many other adaptations, while Valjean values her-even after her death-greatly and treats her as well as he can and then some, there is no deliberate romantic subtext.
255* ParentsAsPeople: Her struggle to provide for her daughter is a highlight of the first act.
256* {{Psychopomp}}: In the musical, she seemingly fulfills this role for Valjean at his death, appearing alongside Eponine.
257* PromotedToLoveInterest: A few adaptations really like to throw this into her dynamic with Valjean.
258* SellingOnesOwnHair: She cuts and sells her hair for 10 francs because she needs money to support her young daughter Cosette. It symbolizes her loss of innocence.
259-->'''Fantine:''' My child is no longer cold; I have clothed her with my hair.
260* SingleMomStripper: Sadly resorts to prostitution to pay the Thénardiers for Cosette's up-keeping.
261* StrugglingSingleMother: Has to hide the existence of her bastard daughter and secretly support her. After she is outed, Fantine resorts to prostitution to support Cosette.
262* SoBeautifulItsACurse: In the musical, as it evokes the jealousy and the foreman’s interest that eventually get her fired.
263* SpitefulSpit: To Valjean, after his strict moral codes drive her to her lowest point. Seeing the state she's in, he forgives her instantly.
264* TakeCareOfTheKids: Fantine's request to Valjean to look after Cosette, becomes his key motivation in the book, musical, etc.
265* TeenPregnancy: Most likely in her case. It is not stated when Fantine was born, other than that the Directory still was in function at the time (and therefore, she never was baptized). This lasted until 1799, when Napoleon took the helm. Fantine was then born no later than 1798, and was abandoned in 1817. Do the math. The book states that Fantine was 22 years old in 1818, when she left Paris for Montreuil. With Cosette being between two and three years at the time, Fantine gave birth at the age of 19. That would make her a straight example, although becoming a mother in her ''late'' teens.
266* TheToothHurts: In the book, she sells her two front teeth (and rips them out herself with pliers) to raise money to help Cosette.
267* WideEyedIdealist: She trusts the Thènardiers too much to take good care of Cosette, which leads to her selling out her life and body to pay for her daughter's supposed needs and illnesses. In reality, the Thènardiers are just ripping her off, lying about each need, and mistreating Cosette regardless of if they have enough money to raise her.
268[[/folder]]
269
270[[folder:Cosette]]
271!!Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevent
272
273->''"I have been loving a little more all the time that has passed since this morning."''
274
275The poster girl of the book and musical, Cosette is the daughter of Fantine, left in the "care" of the Thénardiers. Becoming their abused child servant, Cosette manages to keep an optimistic outlook on life and is eventually adopted by Jean Valjean as her mother's final request. She grows into a lovely woman and falls in love with Marius.
276----
277
278* AdaptationDyeJob: She has brown hair in the novel, but she's usually blonde in adaptations to invoke HairOfGoldHeartOfGold.
279* AnimalMotifs: In the book, she is compared to a bird, with the narration describing her as "more of a lark than a dove".
280* BarefootPoverty: As a child in the book, but wears boots/shoes in the musical. Although the book explains that she had wooden shoes but no socks in the freezing winter, the engraving of a barefoot Cosette has become the signature image of this story. It is also the page image for BarefootPoverty's Literature work page.
281* BreakTheCutie: As a child when she was abused. Luckily for her, she got better.
282* CinderellaPlot: Treated like garbage by her step-family, rescued by a savior, and falls in love with a handsome man.
283* DaddysGirl: Adores Valjean, her adoptive father, well into adulthood.
284* DemotedToExtra: In the musical, her adolescent self appears to have less stage time compared to the book.
285* DisappearedDad: Cosette's real father abandoned Fantine when Cosette was little. She does not remember him and accepts Valjean as her father.
286* ElegantGothicLolita: After Valjean adopts her and before she grows up, she's dressed in an elegant black dress.
287* ExtremeDoormat: The book describes young Cosette as this, thus explaining why she was so compliant during her and Valjean's escape to Paris. Justified, due to her abuse from the Thenardiers. She later grows out of this somewhat, as her older self is much more spirited and well-adjusted.
288* FairytaleWeddingDress: Her wedding dress in the 2012 film is rather fancy, complete with GiantPoofySleeves.
289* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: In plenty of adaptations, although she was brunette in the original novel. This is probably to highlight her [[TheIngenue ingenue]] status, invoking this trope.
290* HappilyAdopted: After Valjean adopts her she calls him "Father/Papa" as if he sired her himself.
291* HappilyMarried: To Marius near the end of the novel and musical.
292* HealTheCutie: She's introduced as a very sad, broken and abused little girl, but after Valjean adopts her and treats her with love and care, she grows into a happier and more well-adjusted young woman.
293* HeartwarmingOrphan: After Fantine's death, her story becomes one of surviving abuse and growing up to be happy.
294* HeroicBastard: Fantine's illegitimate daughter, but she's still the kindest, sweetest person in the whole story.
295* HourglassPlot: With Eponine. Cosette starts off abused and forced to do labor for the Thenardiers while they spoil Eponine. Eventually, Cosette gets adopted by Valjean, who treats her very well and gives her a happy life. The Thenardiers lose all their money and have to live in poverty and turn to a life of crime, forcing Eponine to participate. When Cosette and Eponine appear as teenagers, the changes are hard not to notice.
296* IconicOutfit: Her black dress, in both the book and the musical.
297* ImprobableInfantSurvival: Abused little girl Cosette grows up into a lovely young woman.
298* TheIngenue: She's sheltered, wealthy, beautiful, innocent...
299* InnocentSoprano: Cosette is a beauteous and innocent young woman coming of age in the latter half of the show, and fittingly sings in the soprano range (the only female character to do so).
300* IronicNickname: Fantine names her baby Euphrasie in a moment of romantic inspiration, but soon calls her "Cosette" all the time (which means, basically, "Pampered" or "Indulged"). Then she leaves her child with the Thénardiers, who verbally and physically abuse the child, starve her, clothe her in rags, and force her to work for her keep — all the while still calling her "Cosette," little Indulged. Becomes a MeaningfulName after her adoption by the wealthy Valjean.
301* LegFocus: Before Marius officially starts courting Cosette, he is very embarrassed when a gust of wind flips up her dress and allows him to see that she has great legs. He is also disturbed when he sees an elderly man nearby [[DirtyOldMan seems to have noticed as well]].
302* LivingEmotionalCrutch: To Valjean, who wastes away and eventually [[DeathByDespair dies of grief]] when separated from her.
303* LoveTriangle: Between herself, Marius and Éponine; she and Marius love each other while Eponine is in love with him..
304* MeaningfulName: After Valjean adopts her, she really is "pampered" and "indulged".
305* NiceGirl: Incredibly kind, sweet, genuine and friendly, even to the Thénardiers.
306* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname:
307** Her real name is Euphrasie, but this is left out of most adaptations. She herself likes "Cosette" better.
308** The locals in Montfermeil called her "the Lark."
309* OrphansOrdeal: She's abused by the Thenardiers, who milk her working mother's devotion for all its worth. She finds a safe and caring home in Valjean and gets to marry a handsome man.
310* PrecisionFStrike: In episode 3 of the 2018 miniseries, she speaks rather coarsely about a nosy neighbor who pops in on her and Valjean at the inn. Valjean isn't exactly amused, though he does share her opinion.
311-->'''Cosette''': Nosy old bitch.
312* ProperLady: She's very polite and proper. This is turned up in the musical where she has less stage time.
313* PurityPersonified: Pretty, polite, and innocent.
314* RagsToRiches: Although she grew up poor, she's adopted by the wealthy Valjean.
315* RagsToRoyalty: Cosette is Baroness after marrying Marius.
316* SeriesMascot: It's her face that shows up in ads.
317* SheIsAllGrownUp: Marius does a double-take when he realizes that the unattractive girl he ignored for six months grew up into the lovely Cosette.
318* SonOfAWhore: Or Daughter of a Whore. Variant in that her mother Fantine wasn't a prostitute when she was born, but turned to prostitution to support her.
319* SpoiledSweet: Valjean basically takes the attitude that she deserves everything good and nice in the world, though he lives very ascetically himself; she manages to turn this around on him, cajoling him into lighting a fire in his room and eating better by spending hours with him and then complaining of the cold and insisting that she eats what he does.
320[[/folder]]
321
322[[folder:Marius Pontmercy]]
323!!Marius Pontmercy
324->''"Let us be just, my friends! What a splendid destiny for a nation to be the Empire of such an Emperor, when that nation is France and when it adds its own genius to the genius of that man!"''
325
326A charming young bachelor, Marius falls in love with Cosette, leading to LoveTriangle between the two and Éponine, who is very much his friend and confidante ([[UnwantedAssistance whether he wants her to be or not]]). He is a law student and an associate of the Friends of the ABC, and fights in the revolution against the French law.
327----
328* AdaptationalHeroism: In the book, he rather cruelly cuts Valjean out of Cosette's life after learning from Valjean that he is an ex-con. This is at least partially fuelled by the fact he mistakenly believes that Valjean murdered Javert, someone Marius respected, in cold blood. In the musical, he is more just going along with Valjean's plan to distance himself from Cossette to avoid causing her any trouble with his ex-con status. Marius is struck heavily with guilt in both versions however after learning Valjean saved his life the day the rebellion failed.
329* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the novel, Marius doesn't become a fully-fledged member of the Friends of the ABC due to his newfound Bonapartist ideas clashing with their Republicanism, and is only affiliated with them through his friendship with one of its members Courfeyrac. In the musical, because of his sub-plot regarding his estranged Bonapartist father was AdaptedOut, Marius is instead reimagined as one of their key members.
330* AuthorStandIn: Hugo Victor revealed Marius is a portrait of how he was as a youngster.
331* BadassBookworm: Yes, he is something of a bumbler. But this young law student still manages to pull off some impressive feats in the climactic battle at the barricade. Highlights include shooting a policeman seconds before he spears little Gavroche, making two simultaneous shots with pistols while DualWielding, and single-handedly repelling the first assault on the barricade... by taking a match to a large barrel of gunpowder and threatening to ''[[TakingYouWithMe blow everyone up.]]''
332* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Marius seems to be under the impression that the existence of a life debt precludes the debtee from being involved in the persecution of any wrongdoing, past present or future, on the part of the debtor. Happens with his father's debt (passed onto him) to Thenardier, again when he considers Javert's death to be a murder (rather than the execution of a spy it was to all the other students) because he believed Javert's killer to be Valjean, whom Javert had saved once (unwittingly). Again when he finds out Valjean saved ''his'' life, which makes his previous negative opinions of the ex-convict evaporate instantaneously. At least he's consistent about it.
333* BreakTheCutie: When all his friends are killed, leaving him as the SoleSurvivor.
334* CompressedAdaptation: His rather extensive backstory, detailed throughout Volume 3 of the book, is probably the largest cut from book to musical. The play never so much as mentions his grandfather Gillenormand, his other rich relatives, his father's tragic story, his fall into poverty, how he met Eponine and Les Amis, and his mistaken belief that he owes a debt to Thenardier. The film version of the musical adds Gillenormand back in, but he still doesn't do much.
335* DebtDetester: He has a strong sense of pride that leads to this. On principle he refuses to accept money from his grandfather after their rift, even if it leads to borderline poverty, and never accepts any loans from his new friends, either. When he finally accepts money from Courfeyrac, it's actually a sign that he's getting closer to the DespairEventHorizon.
336* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: PlayedForDrama; Marius was raised to believe that his father had abandoned him, and discovering otherwise shortly after the older Pontmercy's death caused him to place his father's memory on a pedestal. This gets him kicked out of the house and defines his life for most of the rest of his youth.
337* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: The poor kid is clearly ''adrift'' after being kicked out of his grandfather's house, having little direction in his life other than an idealized view of his father's career (and Napoleon Bonaparte, by extension). It's little wonder he falls in love with Cosette so abruptly, something that not-coincidentally happens soon after his fanish idolizing of Napoleon is ridiculed.
338* DisappearedDad: His father, George Pontmercy. Marius was the result of an InterClassRomance between a wealthy girl and a middle-class man. Gillenormand despised Pontmercy and forbid him from ever coming near Marius, and Marius was led to believe that his father abandoned him.
339* EmoTeen: Angsts about his father not being there for him, then angsts about his grandfather for not letting him see his father. Dude has a lot of parental issues.
340* HappilyMarried: To Cosette near the end of the novel and musical. At least, theoretically. We only see the wedding.
341* HeelRealization: In the novel, he cruelly manipulates Valjean into breaking off contact with Cosette and in the end comes to regret this decision. (In the musical, Marius acts in a more sympathetic manner, although the situation is similar).
342* HeroicBSOD: When he learns he is the [[SoleSurvivor only survivor]] of the barricade fight, he goes into a funk where he mourns them and curses his status as SoleSurvivor.
343* HonorBeforeReason: His grandfather sends him a rather sizeable allowance, but Marius refuses to accept any of it, out of perceived loyalty to his father's memory. He also refuses to borrow money from his friends, despite being in dire financial straits much of the time, preferring to simply sell his belongings until he can find a job.
344* ImpoverishedPatrician: He's a dirt-poor Baron, thanks to a combination of the Restoration government not recognizing his title (which was granted to his father by Napoleon's regime) and his rich family throwing him out for being a political leftist.
345* LikeASonToMe: Valjean calls him this on "Bring Him Home".
346* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Eponine sees him as this (more so in the musical, where their relationship is closer, but there's shades of it in the book as well). She doesn't quite love him as much as she loves [[LovingAShadow the idea of him]]; she just sees him as the one good thing in her terrible life.
347* LonelyRichKid: Losing his father and isolating himself from his strict, but well-meaning grandfather turns him into this.
348* LoveAtFirstSight: To Cosette in the musical. In the book, it's actually inverted - the only reason he notices her is because he sees the stark contrast between her black dress and Valjean's white hair. Six months later, SheIsAllGrownUp.
349* ManipulativeBastard: More sympathetic than most, but after learning of Valjean's criminal past (not to mention mistakenly thinking he killed Javert in cold blood) he comes to believe he is dangerous and conspires to limit his time with Cosette, resulting in Valjean wasting away. After learning the whole story (from Thenardier, ironically enough) he suffers a major HeelRealization.
350* MeaningfulName: "Marius" comes from Victor Hugo's own middle name, Marie, representing his AuthorStandIn status.
351* NaiveNewcomer: His politics rub Les Amis the wrong way at first and he is out of depth with city life.
352* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Yes and no. He is very liberal, to the point Granddaddy Gillenormand threw him out for it, but he came to some meetings of ''Les Amis'' largely on Courfeyrac's insistence in an attempt to make friends, ended up embarrassing himself by fanboying Napoleon instead of the Republic, and didn't come back until the final battle.
353* ObliviousToLove: Oblivious to Éponine's love, and sending her off to deliver a love letter to Cosette is a right dagger in her heart.
354* RaisedByGrandparents: He was raised to believe [[ParentalAbandonment his father abandoned him]] (when in truth Gillenormand did not see him as a worthy match for his daughter and sent him away) by Gillenormand, gaining much of his Royalist views on the world. Later, he becomes a Bonapartist after leaving his grandfather.
355* RelationshipCompression: With both Cosette and Éponine in the musical. Éponine becomes his best friend rather than a mere associate and neighbour.
356* StalkerWithACrush: The behavior he exhibits was seen as very romantic at the time, but he does basically stalk Cosette. Taken to ridiculous levels in the 2012 film, when all he does is just ''look'' at Cosette, and is obsessed with her instantly.
357* StarvingStudent: How he lived after he left his grandfather's house -- he shacked up in the same house the Thenardiers were in and worked to finished his studies.
358* StrawmanPolitical: Deliberately invoked in a form of SelfDeprecatingHumor. Marius' political ideas can hardly be called ideas at all: he was raised by his grandfather to believe that the French monarchs are simply divinely ordained to rule, and later becomes a Bonapartist for no other reason than idolizing his dead father. He becomes painfully aware that his politics are poorly thought-out when he meets the Friends of the ABC, and his attempts to defend himself to Enjolras get him laughed out of the cafe. Hugo is essentially making fun of ''his own'' politics at that age.
359* SuicideByCop: His primary reason for joining the revolution is to die at the barricades.
360* SurvivorGuilt: Especially in "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables," where he angsts about the rest of Les Amis being killed at the barricades. He would have joined them too had Valjean not intervened.
361-->''"Oh, my friends, my friends forgive me / that I live and you are gone..."''
362* TakingYouWithMe: Marius attempted to do this to hold off the army.
363* TellMeAboutMyFather: Marius researches on his father after his death, learning he was a colonel in Napoleon's army and was saved by Thénardier of all people.
364* TenorBoy: Downplayed. He fits personality-wise, being a lovestruck naive young man, but the role in the musical calls for a lyric baritone (the part, however, can be and is often played by tenors).
365* WideEyedIdealist: To the point of seeing the world in terms of black and white (note his treatment of Valjean after the latter's confession).
366[[/folder]]
367
368[[folder:Éponine Thénardier]]
369!!Éponine Thénardier
370
371->''"This summer, I'll be hungry; this winter I'll be cold. Are there some fools... to think they can scare a girl?"''
372
373The eldest daughter and first born of the Thénardiers, Éponine starts off as spoiled bratty girl who is mean to Cosette. But, her parents' inn becomes bankrupt and the family are forced into poverty. She falls in love with Marius, and ends up bringing him and Cosette together.
374----
375* AbhorrentAdmirer: In the book. Granted, it's not so much that Marius dislikes her as it is he finds her creepy. And he's not entirely unjustified in feeling that way, either. Interestingly, she had her own abhorrent admirer in the book too, Montparnasse.
376* AdaptationalAttractiveness: While the narrator claims Book Éponine is rather ugly due to her horrid circumstances[[note]]despite the fact that she could have been pretty had she been given the chance[[/note]], she is notably more attractive in the musical. She's also a lot less creepy. This predated the musical. Classical illustrations of Eponine often portray her as looking older and prettier than she is described in the book.
377* AdaptationalHeroism: Her {{yandere}} qualities in the book are removed from the musical, at least in later productions.[[note]]Early productions, such as Frances Ruffelle's portrayal in the Original Broadway Cast ''do'' still keep her some of creepy yandere qualities[[/note]]
378* AdaptedOut: There are adaptations where she does not appear and is not even mentioned.
379* AffablyEvil: Okay, maybe not ''evil'', but still quite manipulative.
380* AscendedExtra: Her adolescent self in the musical. While she is still very important in the book, she appears to have more stage time than Cosette.
381* BarefootPoverty: Walks around barefoot as an adolescent in the novel to represent her family's RichesToRags status (as in her childhood she had the prettiest clothes).
382* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: In some tour musical productions, Valjean has a few verses where he warns Eponine to be cautious, likely to make her spirit's visit to Valjean's death scene make sense.
383* BreakoutCharacter: Mostly due to the musical playing up how tragic her character is.
384* CharacterExaggeration: Most, if not all, productions of the musical focus more on her unrequited love for Marius (as it fits into the musical's theme of yearning for what is ultimately impossible) and not really highlight everything else about her character from the novel. However, the numbers "Castle on a Cloud" and "The Robbery/Javert's Intervention" do highlight how Éponine lived as a child and then as a teen.
385* ChekhovsGunman: In the novel, Éponine is the "young (working) man," dressed in a grey blouse and pantaloons. While it is hinted once by Hugo that it was her, it was not made official until after she took the bullet for Marius at the barricades.
386* ClingyJealousGirl: She doesn't take kindly to Cosette and Marius falling in love. (She probably gets it from her mom.)
387* CoolBigSis: Azelma sees her as this and aspires to be just like her.
388* DemotedToExtra:
389** In the 1998 film adaptation, she only appears as a child. Likewise, to the love triangle between her, Marius and Cosette are absent.
390** She also only appears as a child in one scene in a 1988 animated adaptation and in one panel as an adolescent in a comic book adaptation.
391* DyingDeclarationOfLove: She confesses her love for Marius as she's about to die.
392* EmoTeen: Though with everything she's been through, it's not like she doesn't have a reason to be like that.
393* GreyAndGreyMorality: Contemporary critics have noted that she was the most emotionally complex character in the book because of this. Her death begs the question: "Can a selfless deed done for selfish reasons still be considered selfless?"
394* HopelessSuitor: Marius sees her as an associate (although they're closer in the musical) and he only has eyes for Cosette.
395* HourglassPlot: With Cosette. As children, Éponine is the pampered, well-off girl where Cosette is the poor and put-upon outcast. By the time they're both older, Cosette is wealthy while Éponine has ended up on the streets.
396* IconicOutfit: The large trench coat and baker boy hat she wears at the barricade in the musical.
397* IfICantHaveYou: In a rather shocking move, Éponine anonymously tells Marius that his friends are expecting him at the barricade. Believing Cosette has left for England, Marius goes, with Éponine close behind hoping they can die together.
398* IronicEcho: When Cosette was a child, Hugo said "Cosette was ugly. Happy, she might, perhaps, have been pretty." However, when she and Éponine's statuses switch as adolescents, Hugo says this about Éponine: "The most touching thing about it was that this young girl had not come into the world to be ugly. In her early childhood, she must have even been pretty."
399* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
400** Shows traits of this despite resenting Cosette and being very clingy to Marius. This is a possible interpretation of why she [[TakingTheBullet took the bullet for Marius]].
401** Could be seen as a deconstruction too; oh yes, she's bringing Marius and Cosette together because she knows it's what Marius wants...and the closer together she brings them, the more she dies a little inside.
402* IWasQuiteALooker: A premature example in the book. She was quite pretty as a child, but looks like a hideous old woman in her teens due to the ravages of poverty and alcoholism.
403* KarmicTransformation: Éponine grows up and has a dreary and impoverished life, while Cosette becomes the opposite of this.
404* LadyDrunk: She's a drinker in the novel. She drinks brandy and liquors, resulting in her hoarse voice.
405* LastRequest: In the novel, Éponine asks Marius to kiss her on the forehead after she dies. He does. Musicals usually either have her kiss Marius herself, or lean up to do so but die before she has a chance.
406* LovingAShadow:
407** It's implied that Éponine's infatuation with Marius stems not only from his perceived kindness towards her, but also from the life he was living while they were neighbours. Though he was poor like she was (having been disowned by his wealthy grandfather), he was also well-educated and kept his living quarters well-maintained, in contrast to the run-down state of the "Jondrettes"'s apartment. It was a different kind of poverty, one that was much less harsh than the life Éponine was going through.
408** In the musical, the song "On My Own" makes it explicit that she's in love with the idea of Marius rather than the man himself. In a move that makes her ''even more tragic'', it's shown that she ''knows'' this, but keeps pursuing him anyway, because he's the only ray of hope left in her miserable life.
409* ManipulativeBitch: She deliberately attempts to sabotage the relationship between Marius and Cosette, driving the former to [[DespairEventHorizon go to the barricade.]]
410* MsFanservice: Adaptations will sometimes portray her as flirtatious and sexually charged, in contrast to the prim-and-proper Cosette. Her costume in the musical shows a lot more skin than would be typical for a woman of her day (though some of the illustrations in the book back this up), and her dress in the film of the musical strongly emphasizes her cleavage. Ironically, the narratorial voice in the book describes Cosette as by far the more attractive of the two.
411* TheOphelia: Poverty has not been good to her sanity. She's even compared to the TropeNamer.
412* {{Psychopomp}}: In the musical (but not in the 2012 film), she and Fantine fulfill this role for Valjean.
413* RaceLift: She's been played by Asian actresses, most prominently Lea Salonga, who starred in the 10th anniversary concert (who had risen to prominence with the title role in ''Theatre/MissSaigon'', interestingly). Prominent African-American Eponines also appear, such as Chasten Harmon in the 25th anniversary tour.
414* RichesToRags: Her family starts out as well-off innkeepers, but slowly descend into poverty.
415* SacrificialLamb: The first major character casualty of the barricade in the musical.
416* SamusIsAGirl: Éponine disguises herself as a boy to secretly go to the barricades and die with Marius after telling him to go there, and when she takes a bullet for him and her identity is revealed, he is shocked.
417* SheCleansUpNicely: She never gets the chance to, poor thing, but the narration mentions that she would if she could.
418* SpoiledBrat: As a child, she got everything she wanted and was terrible to young Cosette.
419* StalkerWithACrush: Because she's in love with him she basically follows Marius around.
420* StreetSmart: One would have to be to live the life she led.
421--> '''Gavroche:''' That's Eponine, she knows her way about / Only a kid, but hard to scare
422* SuicideByCop: Fed up with her shitty life, she decides to go die at the barricades.
423* SuppressedMammaries: In the 2012 adaptation she binds her chest in order to pass as a boy.
424* SweetPollyOliver: Éponine disguises herself as a boy to secretly go to the barricades and die with Marius after telling him to go there.
425* TakingTheBullet: She takes a bullet meant for Marius at the barricades, which kills her.
426* TogetherInDeath: The ''other'' possible interpretation as to why she took the bullet for Marius. She actually confirms this to Marius moments before her death.
427-->"See, you are lost! Nobody will get out of the barricade, now. It was I who led you into this, it was! You are going to die, I am sure. And still when I saw him aiming at you, I put up my hand upon the muzzle of the musket. How droll it is! But it was because I wanted to die before you."
428* TookALevelInBadass: Eponine goes up against six hardened burglars to protect Marius and Cosette, only a few days before she is shot at the barricades.
429* TookALevelInKindness: She helps out both old Mabeuf and Marius, protecting him from her "own kind", before she joins the revolutionaries.
430* TheTragicRose: Described as "a rose in misery" in the book.
431* UnkemptBeauty: The book notes her to be one; she's rather more traditionally pretty in the musical. In the book, Hugo calls Éponine "beautiful" during her visit with Marius at The Field of the Lark.
432* UnrequitedTragicMaiden: In the musical, she's [[AdaptationalAttractiveness more of a fallen princess than a harridan]] and is actually friends with Marius, so her unreciprocated feelings for him are portrayed as tender yet hopeless. She eventually dies at the barricade in the arms of Marius, and the two of them get a heartfelt DeathSong.
433* VocalDissonance: In the book, she was a teenage girl whose voice was frequently compared to a middle-aged ''man's'', presumably due to years of drowning her sorrows in alcohol. This was changed in the musical for ''very'' obvious reasons.
434* {{Yandere}}: In the book. She's in love with Marius, but he hardly knows she exists and is in love with Cosette. So, she decides to drive him to the barricades so they could both die and be TogetherInDeath. The musical omits these traits by making her a lot less manipulative and making her unrequited love less creepy, though some actresses, such as Frances Ruffelle, ''can'' still make her creepy traits come across.
435[[/folder]]
436
437[[folder:Enjolras]]
438!!Enjolras
439
440->''"Citizen, my mother is the Republic."''
441
442Head of the Society of the Friends of the ABC, Enjolras and his friends seek radical change in France, and participate in the June Rebellion, a republican revolution against the July Monarchy in France.
443----
444* AdaptationalVillainy: He of all characters is hit with this ''hard'' in the 1935 American film adaptation, in which, due to the Thenardiers' screen time being drastically reduced, he's actually the closest character to pure evil. He is portrayed as an AxCrazy BloodKnight who stages a coup on Maruis's nonviolent protest movement, sparking the violence. He's even played by Creator/JohnCarradine, who is better known for playing {{Dracula}} numerous times and who looks about as unlike a radiant young man as possible. The reason for this is due to the film being made during the First Red Scare, and a heroic revolutionary being considered too much for the public of the day to swallow.
445* AdaptationalBadass: The novel makes it clear that Enjolras and his club are merely one group involved in the June Rebellion, and a fairly minor one at that. The musical and movie more or less portray him as the RebelLeader who inspires the people to revolt.
446* AdaptedOut: There are adaptations where he does not appear and is not even mentioned, with Marius sometimes taking over his role as the leader of the Les Amis.
447* AllLovingHero: Single-mindedly devoted to liberating the people of Paris. In the book, he is deeply moved by the sacrifices of others (including Mabeuf), and encourages the men of the barricade to leave after he realizes they will not succeed. In the musical, he barely knew Eponine but is still deeply moved and grief-stricken by her sacrifice for Marius.
448* AngryMobSong: He leads "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in the musical.
449* AmbiguouslyGay: He is a CelibateHero who has zero interest in women, instead channeling it all towards his motherland. However, he is compared to quite a few gay classical figures, is described as feminine, and has a certain amount of subtext with Grantaire.
450* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Rare male example. He fights for hours, doesn't sleep for more than a day, is never wounded, and is still so pretty at the end that he makes the National Guard pause.
451* BlueBlood: Specifically the only son of a very wealthy family.
452* BringMyRedJacket: In the musical, he usually wears a red vest, and of course, he gets shot.
453* CelibateHero: "He chastely dropped his eyes before everything which was not the Republic," and "it did not seem as though he were aware there was on earth a thing called woman."
454* CrucifiedHeroShot: His death in the musical is usually staged this way.
455* DemotedToExtra: In the 1998 film adaptation. Much of his role in the movie is given to Marius.
456* DiedStandingUp: Cornered by guards in a tavern after the rebellion fails.
457* DoomedMoralVictor: How his character is framed, and ultimately how he ends up. He's portrayed as romantically and single-mindedly commmitted to revolutionary republicanism. His ideals are lofty and admirable, but the manner in which he pursued them made it inevitable that he was going to meet his end leading a failed revolution.
458* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Complete with chest-baring. "Shoot me."
459* {{Foil}}:
460** To Grantaire, who is described as practically Enjolras's antithesis.
461** Also to a lesser extent [[BadassBookworm Combeferre,]] who is described as rounding out Enjolras' dogma with a more grounded and humane view of the revolution.
462* GoOutWithASmile: Dies with a smile after Grantaire declares himself to be "one of them", and asks permission to be shot with Enjolras.
463* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: He is specifically described as being fair-haired, and he has a very strong sense of morality and justice.
464* HoldingHands: How he and Grantaire die, notable because up to that point he is mostly annoyed by Grantaire, and earlier on the barricade he renounces faith in him. "Grantaire, you are incapable of believing, of thinking, of willing, of living, and of dying."
465* IconicOutfit: His red vest in the musical, fondly called the Red Vest of Doom.
466* IdealHero: He's pretty much a classical romantic hero placed into a world of GreyAndGreyMorality, and an embodiment of absolute faith, a very inspiring figure.
467* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Borderline angelic, never swaying from his convictions or falling prey to weakness or corruption even when he knows he's doomed.
468* LaResistance: He heads Les Amis de l'ABC, "a society which had for its object apparently the education of children, in reality the elevation of man." They participate in the Rebellion.
469* LastNameBasis: His first name is never given.
470* LastStand: With the rebellion all but defeated, Enjolras holds back an entire battalion by himself to cover the others' retreat into the restaurant, and does not stop fighting until his gun breaks in his hands.
471* TheLeader: The "chief" of Les Amis.
472* ManlyTears: When he shoots a soldier in the book, a tear falls down his "marble cheek."
473* TheMcCoy: To Combeferre's Spock. Enjolras is desribed as being "the just man" to Combeferre's "wise man".
474* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: In the novel, Victor Hugo states that "in the Convention, he would have been [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolutionMajorFigures Saint-Just]]."
475* NoNameGiven: Due to it being difficult to pronounce, Enjolras's name is actually never spoken in libretto during the entire musical, though beginning the ABC Cafe scene with an exclaimed "Enjolras!" has become a pretty regular ad-lib, nowadays.
476* OneManArmy: Towards the end of the battle at the barricade, he volunteers to go at the soldiers alone to buy the few survivors time to get out. He lasts quite a while.
477* PatrioticFervor: In direct contrast to Marius, whose politics are reducible to hero worship, Enjolras is an enthusiastic and passionate lover of the idea of France itself, and above all the ideals of the French Republic.
478* PrettyBoy: Described as being "angelically handsome".
479* RaceLift: In the 1998 film adaptation and the 2014 Broadway revival, where he was played by Kyle Scatliffe.
480* RebelLeader: Of Les Amis, and an iconic example in both French literature and musical theater.
481* RedIsHeroic: In the musical, the song "Red and Black." Enjolras sings about how red is the blood of martyrs, the color of passion, and the dawning of a new age. He also gets a snazzy red vest.
482* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: Hugo intended to portray him as the DoomedMoralVictor, and adaptations rarely stray from this. The one notable exception is the 1935 film adaptation, in which he is essentially a CardCarryingVillain.
483* WideEyedIdealist: His faith in the people of Paris to rise with them is misplaced. He acknowledges this in the Broadway revival when he realizes they're not rising up, in a resigned tone that implies he considered this an outcome.
484[[/folder]]
485
486[[folder:Monsieur and Madame Thénardier]]
487!!Monsieur and Madame Thénardier
488
489->'''Monsieur:''' [Fantine's payment] will serve to pay my note for one hundred and ten francs which falls due to-morrow; I lacked fifty francs. Do you know that I should have had a bailiff and a protest after me? You played the mouse-trap nicely with your young ones.\
490'''Madame:''' Without suspecting it.
491
492A pair of devious, greedy innkeepers who take in Cosette but use her as a cleaner, demanding bigger payments from Fantine. After Jean Valjean adopts Cosette, the Thénardiers are forced out of their inn and become criminals in Paris. They have five children, who are Éponine, Azelma, Gavroche and two other unnamed sons.
493----
494* AbusiveParents: Both of them. Thénardier goes so far as to force Eponine into prostitution and mutilate Alzema to make her a better beggar. Madame Thénardier seems to genuinely care for her daughters, and continued to be so when they were in poverty. However, she is the most clearly abusive of Cosette, abandoned all three of her sons, and in the musical, she clearly doesn't care a bit about Éponine post-bankruptcy.
495* AccidentalHero: Monsieur Thénardier, when he saves Marius's father's life in the process of looting the man.
496* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Madame Thénardier in the 2012 film; they cast ''Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter''. This is played with by having her verse of "Master of the House" sung to a guest in flirtation, distracting him with [[DistractedByTheSexy the sexy]] while she steals from him. Later, she tries to do this near the end of "Javert's Intervention" to Javert [[IgnoreTheFanservice but he remains unfazed.]] Also in the 2000 mini-series.
497* AdaptationalComicRelief: In the musical, though that doesn't stop them from being legitimately awful.
498* AdaptationalKarma: While Monsieur ultimately ends up a KarmaHoudini in the novel and various adaptations, there are some adaptations where he gets his just deserts.
499** In the 1982 film, after Javert confronts Valjean outside the sewers, he sends some men in to capture Thernardier and his gang. While we don't see what became of them since the entire scene where Thernardier tries to blackmail Marius is AdaptedOut, its implied that he was ultimately arrested.
500** ''Anime/LesMiserablesShoujoCosette'' sees him arrested by Javert when trying to blackmail Marius, due to the Javert ultimately choosing not to commit suicide.
501* AdaptationalVillainy: Madame was still villainous in the novel, but genuinely loved her daughters and both feared and objected to one of her husband's schemes when it injured one of them. This is not the case in the musical, wherein she gladly goes along with everything her husband does, ceases to care about Eponine after the family goes bankrupt and clearly doesn't mourn her death after the fact.
502* AdaptationalWimp: While Monsieur is always an utterly villainous character, the musical (and all adaptations thereof) makes him a LaughablyEvil HenpeckedHusband, whereas his literary equivalent is a vicious thug played totally straight, whom [[TheDreaded even his wife is afraid of]]. However, his villainy as he robs the dead in "Dog eats Dog" is played completely seriously with none of his usual humour.
503* AdaptedOut: Both of them in the 1952 film. They are only mentioned once as "an innkeeper and his wife."
504* AwfulWeddedLife: Madame Thénardier's part on "Master Of The House" describes how terrible even she thinks her husband is.
505--> "''What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse\
506God knows how I've lasted living with this bastard in the house!''"
507* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite the above, some versions of the musical portray something like this between them; the implication that they genuinely love each other is probably the only redeeming quality either of them have in the musical. Mostly averted in the book, as though Madame is stated to be quite possessive of her husband, she's also stated to fear him (implying that their marriage is...[[DomesticAbuse a LOT less pleasant]] behind the scenes) and is understandably furious with him later when he intentionally injures their daughter for pity points.
508* BadLiar: Marius accuses him of this in his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him at the climax.
509* TheBarnum: Thénardier's [[VillainSong song]] "Master of the House" is all about how he makes his living ripping people off and stealing from his guests.
510* BigBadEnsemble: Thenardier is the closest thing the story has to a villain besides the French system itself (as personified by [[HeroAntagonist Javert]]). He runs into the main characters several times by sheer coincidence, each time working a despicable hustle (whether it be as an innkeeper, a grave robber, or a crime boss) in an attempt to either get rich or get revenge against someone who prevented him from getting rich. His actions end up indirectly driving the plot, usually negatively. For example he indirectly causes Fantine's death by lying to extort money from her and causes Valjean to be discovered by Javert again when his gang kidnaps and attempts to murder him.
511* BitchInSheepsClothing: Madame Thénardier seems pleasant and friendly when Fantine meets her. Unfortunately, that is ''not'' the case.
512* BlatantLies: When Valjean takes Cosette away, Thénardier makes a big speech about how much he cares for her, how much he will miss her, in order to get some money out of him. This after Valjean has clearly seen how abusively they treat her. Valjean clearly doesn't believe a word of it, but forks over the cash anyway just to get the transaction over with.
513* BrawnHilda: Madame is described as a giantess of a woman.
514* BreakTheHaughty: Madame Thénardier in the book, when she's arrested by Javert in the Gorbeau ambush, and ultimately dies in prison.
515* CardCarryingVillain: In the musical at least. Their songs all show that they both know that they're horrible people and are way more proud of it than they should be.
516* ClingyJealousGirl: In the chapter that introduces them from the novel, Madame is stated to be this way when it comes to her husband (God only knows why), which is apparently the reason she never hired any female servants before Cosette. This is probably where Éponine gets it.
517* ColdBloodedTorture: Thénardier threatens to do this to Valjean with a red-hot poker, in order to get him to talk. Valjean does it ''to himself'' to prove that's not going to work.
518* DemotedToExtra: They barely appear in a lot of the film adaptations.
519* DirtyCoward: Thenardier likes to weasel his way out of tough scrapes as opposed to fighting, though this doesn't make him any less intimidating. It pays off, as he ends up being the only prominent character besides Cosette and Marius to survive the events of the story.
520* DissonantLaughter: Their upbeat, happy musical number is about how they con all their guests to earn money.
521* DomesticAbuse: Thenardier is implied to be one in the book, as Madame is stated to fear no one but him. The musical seemingly reverses it, whenever they're being callous to each other it's usually Madame to Thénardier, [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale for far more comical effect of course.]]
522* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
523** When Javert arrests them, Madame Thenardier cries that if they go to jail, no will be around to care for their children. Her husband doesn't seem to care.
524** In the musical, [[AdaptationalVillainy which does away with Madame's love for her daughters]], some productions will imply that, for all their bickering, she and her husband do genuinely love each other. This ends up being the only humanizing quality either of them have.
525* EvenEvilHasStandards: Even Madame objected to her husband forcing Azelma to cut up her own hand so they can earn pity points. Also a more subtle one for Thenardier himself--it's implied that the only reason Madame would force Cosette to be their maid is because she knew her husband wouldn't make a move on her, suggesting that he wouldn't stoop so low as to sexually solicit a child (didn't stop him from prostituting his own daughters later, though).
526* EvilCounterpart: Like Jean Valjean, Thénardier has the shrewdness of a criminal, uses various aliases, takes care of Cosette in Fantine's stead, goes through rough times and runs from the law. While Valjean loves Cosette like she were his own daughter, Thénardier doesn't really care for her or any of his own children. After Jean Valjean sees the error of thieving ways, he becomes rich through honest means yet hardly uses the wealth for his own benefit. The selfish and greedy Thénardier in turn repeatedly tries to get rich however he can, and he never repents. While Valjean became an embittered convict due to circumstances and a harsh justice system, Thénardier has wrongdoing in the blood.
527* EvilGloating: Thénardier pulls this when he has captured Valjean.
528* EvilIsPetty: There is absolutely ''no'' low Thenardier will not sink to to scrounge up just a little bit more cash, it's practically his defining trait. This includes heinous acts such as murder and forced prostitution, but also extends to petty things like overcharging on rent, watering down the wine he sells, or beating a child and forcing her to do manual labor. It's also stated that his main source of income prior to getting the inn was [[RobbingTheDead robbing dead soldiers.]]
529* EvilMatriarch: Madame Thénardier.
530* ExactWords: Thenardier in the musical. Remember when he said he served "food beyond belief"? Or that he treated Cosette like "one of his own"? He [[LethalChef wasn't]] [[AbusiveParents lying]] about either of those things...
531* TheFagin: Both of them live through conning other people.
532* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Anyone who shows Thénardier any consideration will end up suffering for it.
533* FatalFlaw: Thénardier's greed and need for instant gratification makes him act irrationally. He scams his inn's customers and racks up a string of petty debts, and despite Fantine being his main source of income, he ends up getting her killed as a result of demanding more and more money. Later, when he falls into poverty, Valjean promises him regular financial support, but instead Thénardier stages a robbery in order to wring a large sum of money from him at once.
534* FauxAffablyEvil: Thénardier is capable of turning on the charm when he wants to, but at his core, he's a slimy, amoral bastard. Though it's worth noting that few characters fall for it.
535* FosteringForProfit: They take in Cosette so they can demand more and more money from Fantine in return. In fact, the money they get from her becomes their main source of income. They eventually progress to flat-out lying about Cosette being sick in order to get even more money.
536* GirlsWithMoustaches: According to Javert, Mme. Thénardier has "the beard of a man."
537* GodIsDead: In the music, Thénardier professes to believe this in "Dog Eats Dog", as contrasted with Javert's belief in a strict/vengeful God and Valjean's belief in a kind, loving one. It's how he justifies his deeds.
538--> "''And God in His Heaven / He don't interfere / 'Cause he's DEAD as the stiffs at my feet!''"
539* HateSink: Thenardier is the only truly, 100% evil character in the story. Even his wife has ''some'' redeeming qualities, while he has none. Both are just as bad in the musical, but at least have comedic charm there.
540* HenpeckedHusband: Thenardier in the musical and 2012 film. It's the other way around in the book though.
541* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Deconstructed. Their vileness is played much more comically in the musical, but the actual effects of their treatment of Cosette and to a lesser extent their own children are played deadly serious.
542* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Daughter:]]They try to kidnap Cosette during the Gorbeau ambush in order to extort a huge sum of money from Valjean. He foils this by giving them a false address.
543* {{Jerkass}}: Both of them, though M Thénardier is a ''much'' bigger asshole than his wife.
544* KarmaHoudini:
545** Thénardier gets away with all of his crimes in the musical, getting only a punch to the face from Marius as a comeuppance of sorts. [[WouldntHitAGirl Madame doesn't even suffer that.]] He and his wife even sing a song about it in the musical!
546-->''We know where the wind is blowin'''\
547''Money is the stuff we smell!''\
548''And when we're rich as Croesus''\
549''Jesus, won't we see you all in HELL!''
550** In the book, since Marius opted not to turn him into the police because he saved his father's life at Waterloo and gives him money to stay away from him and Cosette forever. The mister ''does'' spend several years in jail for his crimes after being arrested by Javert. So he didn't get off ''completely'' scot-free. And if his spending habits were of any indication, it's unlikely his business as a slaver will stay afloat for long.
551** [[AdaptationalKarma Averted]] for Thénardier in the 2007 anime, but still played straight with his wife, though--she survives prison and gets released, with her worst punishment being losing a whole lot of weight and getting a yellow paper to signify her status as a former convict.
552** Downplayed in the 2012 film. While they still don't receive any formal punishment, they are last seen being beaten up and physically thrown out of the wedding for [[FakeAristocrat impersonating a Baron and Baroness]].
553* LadyMacbeth: Madame is shown to be much more terrifying than her husband, especially in the musical.
554* LargeHam: The musical version of Thénardier frequently qualifies, particularly as played by Matt Lucas and Creator/SachaBaronCohen. In the book on the other hand, he's deadly serious and not loud or over-the-top at all.
555* LaughablyEvil: They're despicable, but this is often played for comedy in the musical, especially in "Master of the House".
556* LastNameBasis: Their first names are never known.
557* MisplacedAccent: The musical usually gives him a Cockney accent for some reason. The book heavily implies he's Belgian. Specifically, the narrator speculates that he was "some Fleming from Lille, in Flanders, a Frenchman in Paris, a Belgian at Brussels, being comfortably astride of both Frontiers".
558* MoralityPet: Éponine and Azelma to Madame, at least; they're the only ones she shows a semblance of kindness and caring for. Averted in the musical, wherein Azelma is AdaptedOut and Madame stops caring about Eponine when the family goes bankrupt.
559* NeverMyFault: Anything that goes wrong for Thenardier, he blames on someone else or society at large. He blames Valjean for the failure of his inn when his own corrupt business practices were to blame, and Valjean had given him 1500 francs to help pay off his debts.
560* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Thénardier tries to blackmail Marius with evidence that his father-in-law is a criminal, but what he ends up doing is cause Marius to realise that Valjean whom he thought to be a dangerous criminal was actually a good man, because said evidence proved that Valjean risked life and limb to save Marius's life at the barricades. This leads to Marius reconciling with Valjean at the end of the book, allowing the latter to pass away with content.
561* NotSoHarmlessVillain: What we see of Monsieur at first is him robbing the dead following the Battle of Waterloo and being a neglectful parent and a cheat to his patrons, quickly marking him as a reprobate but not one responsible for anything too heinous— and the last we see of him at that point is him getting verbally owned by Valjean for demanding more money for Cosette's custody. However, when he loses his inn and moves to Paris, his more precarious situation makes him far more dangerous, becoming the de facto leader of the Patron-Minette gang, kidnapping Valjean to extort money from him under threat of violence, escaping from prison and later attempting to break into and burgle Valjean's house with his gang. Finally, during Valjean's escape from the barricade, he essentially holds Marius's life for ransom by demanding Valjean pay him to open up the sewer exit, while also surreptitiously gathering what he perceives to be potential blackmail evidence against him— and also gleefully screws him over as he knows Javert is waiting outside.
562* ParentalAbandonment: To their three sons, whom they left out on the streets (the eldest of whom is Gavroche).
563* ParentalFavoritism: Madame favors her daughters in the book. Her sons, however, she doesn't care for.
564* PetTheDog: Weirdly enough, Thenardier himself gets one of these moments in the 2012 film, in his own way--during "Master of the House", he can be seen teaching a young Eponine how to scam people, and she seems quite happy with the whole thing.
565* PimpingTheOffspring: Implied in the book -- after the family goes bankrupt, it's noted that the now teenage Eponine is disturbingly comfortable entering Marius' room (suggesting that entering men's bedrooms has become a common occurrence for her) and, when she gives him a letter asking for money, Thenardier is noted as having written that she'll "await Marius' orders", implying that he intended for her to exchange sexual favors with him for it.
566* PlayingTheVictimCard: Thénardier does this regularly. A standout example is during the Gorbeau ambush, where he goes on an extended rant against society in general. During this, he goes off on a tangent about how he served at Waterloo, and put his life at great risk to save another officer, who isn't grateful to him in the slightest. This is all a lie, but he gets so into it that you wonder if he's so deranged that he actually ''believes'' his own story.
567* PluckyComicRelief: In the musical, due to the fact that no other characters served this role in the book (except ''maybe'' Gavroche). Still creepy, though.
568* PragmaticVillainy:
569** Thénardier is purely concerned with whatever benefits him at the moment. There's no crime he won't commit if he thinks he'll profit from it, but he can also restrain himself when he senses that doing so might endanger him.
570** In the 35th anniversary concert, both of them have an OhCrap moment when they learn Fantine is dead...because it means she can't give them anymore money.
571* RobbingTheDead: In the musical, they take advantage of the battle to loot the corpses of the dead. In the book, Monsieur also looted corpses after the Battle of Waterloo.
572* SelfServingMemory: Thénardier claims that he sold Cosette to Valjean for a pittance and tries to find a way to extort more after their paths cross again. In fact, Valjean paid him 1500 francs to get custody of Cosette, which was a lump sum worth considerably more than what Fantine would have been paying for him to raise Cosette in that time period, delivered in monthly payments of 10 francs.
573* SeparatedByACommonLanguage: In the French version of the musical, half the words coming out of their mouths (especially Monsieur) are in old ''argot'', a street vernacular that is also used in the book. As ''argot'' has practically gone out of use or evolved into new slang, their lines are harder and harder to understand for a modern audience.
574* ShadowArchetype: Thénardier has a tendency to pin any wrongdoings he commits on the system, something that Valjean did at the start of the book. Had Valjean not met the Bishop of Digne and decide to turn his life around, he very might well have become another Thénardier.
575* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Both husband and wife forced Cosette to work as a child laborer. At the end of the novel, Thénardier would use the money Marius gave him to set up shop in America and become a slave owner.
576* {{Slimeball}}: Thenardier in quite possibly every version of the story is a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal slimy scheming scumbag]] through and through, lacking even the very few redeeming qualities of his wife.
577* TheSociopath: Thénardier is a more high-functioning example, but he definitely qualifies. He drives Fantine to her death without remorse, was willing to kick Cosette into the street, and sees his own children only as means to an end, abusing or abandoning them as he sees fit. By the end of the book, most of his family, including his own wife, are dead, and it's clear that he couldn't care less.
578* SparedByTheAdaptation: Madame Thénardier in the musical, the 2007 anime, and the 2012 film. In the book, she dies in prison while her husband escapes a few years later, and thus doesn't appear in the second half of the story.
579* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The original text frequently refers to monsieur and madame as "le Thénardier" or "la Thénardier". In English translations, "the Thénardiess" is usually reserved for Madame to better distinguish them.
580* TinyGuyHugeGirl: Mme Thénardier is large and fat, whereas M Thénardier is a tiny shrimp of a man.
581* UnderestimatingBadassery: Thenardier orders a thug to shoot Javert when the inspector comes at the head of a group of lawmen to arrest them. The thug refuses, causing Thenardier to attempt to do so himself. It doesn't end well for him; Javert accurately predicts his gun will misfire, casually dodges a stone tossed at his head by Thenardier's wife, and then casually arrests them both. Thénardier gets the death sentence for attempted murder of an officer (or would've, if he hadn't broken out).
582* UngratefulBastard: Thénardier, big time. Check out the entire Gorbeau ambush, which he carries out ''after'' Valjean has already promised him regular financial support. He also couldn't care less when Gavroche saves him during his escape from prison.
583* UnholyMatrimony: They're married, and the most villainous characters in the story. Depending on the production, their marriage is the only humanizing trait they have in the musical, whereas in the book even the narration questions how these two got together in the first place when they clearly despise each other.
584* VillainousRescue: When Javert becomes suspicious that Valjean may have been the man who took Cosette, they lie to him that it was her grandfather. This is purely [[PragmaticVillainy self-serving]], since they want to get rid of Javert as quickly as possible before he starts investigating ''them.''
585* VillainSong: "Master of the House", is Thenardier gleefully singing about how he conducts his immoral business, i.e. cheating, scamming and flint-skinning. "Dog Eat Dog" is about him looting the corpses of the dead and "Beggar At The Feast" is both of them boasting of their status as {{Karma Houdini}}s.
586* WouldHurtAChild: Thénardier forces Azelma to cut her hand open for pity points. He was also perfectly willing to let his wife kick Cosette out into the street, knowing she would likely die if they did this.
587* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Thénardier decides to just kill Valjean when he makes it clear he's not going to give Cosette's whereabouts to him. Fortunately, Marius intervenes just in time.
588
589
590[[/folder]]
591
592[[folder:Gavroche]]
593!!Gavroche
594
595->''"The mouse has caught the cat."''
596
597The eldest son and third born of the Thénardiers, Gavroche fends for himself in Paris and has little connections to his family. He joins the rebels at the barricade.
598----
599* AdaptedOut: In the 1935 film, he doesn't appear.
600* AscendedExtra: In the anime, he was Cosette's friend since they were young, preventing her from falling into despair. Hence, Cosette was a lot happier and brighter when Valjean comes for her.
601* TheArtfulDodger: He makes a living picking pockets and generally being sneaky.
602* BadassAdorable: He's a scrappy young boy who boldly runs in front of an entire line of infantry without an ounce of fear in him. This changes after he learns that there is no ImprobableInfantSurvival, but he still tries to move forward any way.
603* BigBrotherInstinct: He shows it by taking in two distressed street children younger than himself, comforting them and starting to show them the ropes of living on the streets. Little does he know that they're actually his biological younger brothers.
604* ChildSoldiers: Takes part in the rebellion.
605* ComeToGawk: Seems to like watching public executions.
606* DeathOfAChild: Almost invariably dies at the barricades with varying degrees of brutality depending on the adaptation. A particularly harsh example is the 2012 movie, as the camera is up close as he gets shot while singing "Little People".
607* DefiantToTheEnd: In the 2012 film. And in the original novel as well, mocking the cannons to his last breath.
608* HeartwarmingOrphan: Gavroche isn't actually an orphan, but he still basically fits in that his parents abandoned him and he's forced to fend for himself.
609* KidAppealCharacter: Strangely enough for the time period, he was actually based on a child hero of the French Revolution, and intended to appeal to rebellious and politically active children.
610* KidHero: He joins the rebellion out of genuine conviction and proves very useful to the cause, rising above being a mere HeroicWannabe or TagalongKid.
611* KilledMidSentence: In most adaptations, he's killed in the midst of singing an uplifting song.
612-->''"So you'd better...run for cover...when the pup grows--" [gunshot, Gavroche is hit and dies instantly]''
613* MouthyKid: Whether it's Inspector Javert, Enjolras, his father's criminal associates, corrupt or hypocritical rich people, or an entire army with muskets pointed at him, Gavroche brings the snark and will mock or mouth off to any and all of them. His boldness and sass are part of how he stuggles against and challenges the unjust world where he finds himself, and which he hopes to change for the better.
614* ParentalAbandonment: The reason he lives on the streets -- not that his sisters Eponine and Azelma are much better off. He doesn't bring it up much, but there are hints that it bothers him more than he lets on.
615* SparedByTheAdaptation: He survives the 2007 anime.
616* StepfordSmiler: He plays the role of a CheerfulChild very convincingly, but we're told that he feels "dark and empty" beneath the surface.
617* StreetUrchin: To the point that, after the book was published, "gavroche" essentially became the French word for "street urchin".
618* TagalongKid: An inversion; he proves to be very helpful to the rebels, although they all find it disconcerting to have a little kid fight alongside them.
619* TheUnFavorite: The Thénardiers favored their daughters and left him to grow up on the streets.
620* WrongGenreSavvy: Believes that ImprobableInfantSurvival will keep him from getting killed storming the front lines. He's sadly mistaken and dies barely a minute later.
621[[/folder]]
622
623!!!'''Supporting Characters'''
624
625[[folder: The Bishop of Digne]]
626!!Bishop Charles Francois-Bienvenu Myriel of Digne
627
628->''"You have promised me to become an honest man. I am purchasing your soul, I withdraw it from the spirit of perversity and I give it to God Almighty."''
629
630A friendly bishop who takes Jean Valjean in after he left prison. Valjean steals two candlesticks but is arrested and taken back to Bishop Myriel. To Valjean's shock, the Bishop claimed he had given to him as a gift and tells Valjean to use the candlesticks to make something of his life.
631----
632
633* BargainWithHeaven: How he describes him saving Valjean. He has Valjean declared innocent of the theft, indeed letting him keep the candlesticks, but in return tells him his soul is now God's to do with as He wishes.
634* BadassPreacher: When the bishop decided to travel ''alone'' to reach a far-off mountain parish, knowing fully well the passes were packed with highwaymen, he should earn the title of badass good and proper. He also ventured the trek all by himself, because the gendarmes were too scared to travel with him. When the highwaymen (a dreaded gang in the area) actually left him alone, and even showed him reverence! And he dared this at the age of 70. The book relates this incident [[LampshadeHanging just to remind us "what a man this bishop actually was"]].
635* DecoyProtagonist: The book starts with establishing his personality and describing his life; then, Valjean bursts onto the scene.
636* DemotedToExtra: The book devotes its first 60+ pages to introducing him. Abridged versions will either make drastic cuts, or omit his introduction entirely, starting at Valjean's entrance.
637* EccentricMentor: The Bishop is merciful beyond what anyone would expect, which ultimately prompts Valjean's HeelFaceTurn.
638* GoAndSinNoMore: The bishop gives Valjean the candlesticks and tells him not to steal anymore.
639* GoodShepherd: A very good-hearted, generous priest.
640* ItWasAGift: Said pretty much word-for-word about the candlesticks when Valjean is brought to him after he steals them. Those sticks go on to have great personal significance for Valjean, as a reminder of his atonement.
641* MentorOccupationalHazard: Valjean learns of his death of old age via newspaper. It helps to encourage him to stay on the straight and narrow.
642* NiceGuy: One of the first and only people to treat the ex-convict Jean Valjean with an ounce of respect and human decency. His acts of compassion toward him are instrumental in Valjean becoming a better man.
643* PosthumousCharacter: He lives on through the brief interaction with Valjean, which forms the basis of his life philosophy.
644* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appears at the beginning of the tale, but his influence not only triggers Valjean's HeelFaceTurn, but shapes the man he soon turns into. The Bishop's simple act of forgiveness ripples through the rest of the play and is felt in every decision Valjean makes after meeting him.
645* TurnTheOtherCheek: He forgives Valjean's theft of his candlesticks, claiming they were a gift. He (correctly) believes that this act of mercy is what Valjean needs to turn his life around.
646* WhatTheHellHero: When heard the story of the state prosecutor proving a counterfeiter's guilt by preying on the jealousy of his lover, he denounced the prosecutor for using foul means in the interest of justice.
647[[/folder]]
648
649[[folder:Les Amis de l'ABC]]
650!!The Society of the Friends of the ABC
651A group of revolutionary gentlemen led by Enjolras who participate in the June Rebellion against the French monarchy. Other members include Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Jean Prouvaire, Feuilly, Bahorel, Laigle (nicknamed Bossuet), Joly and the resident drunk Grantaire (with his own section below).
652
653!!!In General
654* AllThereInTheScript: Easy to miss for the first-time watcher, but Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Grantaire and Feuilly are all name-dropped in the same song. Everyone else's name is never mentioned, but their names do find their way onto the program - with the one exception of Bahorel[[note]]though he ''does'' appear in the film adaptation[[/note]]. Enjolras's name is often [[ThrowItIn ad-libbed]] in the opening of the Cafe scene.
655* BilingualBonus: Abaissé (oppressed) is pronounced "ah-be-see" in French.
656* DefiantToTheEnd: Although outnumbered and outmatched, they keep fighting until their death.
657* DoomedMoralVictor: They're very right about the state of politics in France, but are wrong in thinking the people will rise to join them.
658* HeroicSacrifice: All of them die during the June Rebellion.
659* ICouldaBeenAContender: Described as "a group which barely missed becoming historic." In other words, on the right side of history, but just too early for them to have made a difference.
660* IJustWantToBeFree: Their motivation. They want France to be free from its capricious monarchy.
661* LaResistance: They are one, seeking to overthrow the July Monarchy in France.
662* LastNameBasis: Marius and Jean Prouvaire, who goes by "Jehan", are the only ones who escape this treatment.
663* NamedByTheAdaptation: Inverted -- in some adaptations they are unnamed.
664* PunnyName: Les Amis de l'ABC are ostensibly a charity for the purpose of educating [[StreetUrchin orphans]], i.e. teaching them their [=ABCs=]. However, as noted above, ABC is a homophone for Abaissé (oppressed), hinting at the organisation's revolutionary agenda.
665* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: Les Amis are almost never portrayed in a negative light. Sure, they're a bit misguided, but their hearts are in the right place.
666* SoleSurvivor: None of them survive the rebellion, with only Marius and Jean Valjean making it out of the final assault.
667* TragicHero: A gang of them.
668* WideEyedIdealist: Save for Grantaire. Justified as most of them had participated in a successful revolution two years earlier[[note]]which makes the "they were schoolboys/never held a gun" line in the musical kind of moot[[/note]].
669
670!!!Combeferre
671->''"There are people who observe the rules of honor the way you and I observe the stars - from afar."''
672
673A scholarly young medical student described as the "guide" of Les Amis.
674----
675
676* ActualPacifist: He tries to dissuade Enjolras from targeting the artillery sergeant, and dies trying to save one of their enemies, though he supports Enjolras and claims "We will share your fate!" after he executes Le Cabuc.
677* AnimalMotifs: Compared to a swan in his introduction (as opposed to Enjolras's "angel with the wings of an eagle").
678* ArmorPiercingResponse: After Marius' embarassingly effusive speech in praise of Napoleon, he asks [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder "what greater thing is there?"]]. Combeferre simply says "to be free", to which Marius responds with stunned silence, not even realizing that Combeferre has abruptly left the conversation.
679* BadassBookworm: He's handy in the final battle and is a noted scholar.
680* CombatMedic: Shown to be tending the wounded on the barricade.
681* DeadpanSnarker: Most gloriously to Marius. Two words: "Être libre."[[note]]"To be free."[[/note]]
682--> '''Marius:''' (fanboying Napoleon) Let us be just, my friends! What a splendid destiny for a nation to be the Empire of such an Emperor, when that nation is France and when it adds its own genius to the genius of that man! [...] to sound athwart the centuries a trumpet-blast of Titans, to conquer the world twice, by conquest and by dazzling, that is sublime; and what greater thing is there?\
683'''Combeferre:''' To be free.
684* {{Foil}}: To Enjolras, described as rounding him off by being gentler and more rational.
685* TheLancer: The narration notes that he is "made of softer shades" than Enjolras, and represents the "philosophy" of the revolution, which can end in peace, as opposed to Enjolras and the "logic" of the revolution, which can only end in war.
686* NiceGuy: Explicitly so, in contrast to Enjolras. He is very compassionate, and he is even killed while tending to a wounded soldier.
687* ThePhilosopher: A peaceful thinker to temper Enjolras.
688* TheSmartGuy: His introduction suggests a range of intellectual pursuits, including geology and translating hieroglyphics (at a time when they'd only recently been discovered).
689* TheSpock: In Hugo's words, the Condorcet to Enjolras' Robespierre; a more measured, intellectual republican compared to Enjolras' passionate romanticism.
690
691!!!Courfeyrac
692->"''My dear boy, a word of advice. Take your nose out of books for awhile...there's something to be said for girls.''"
693
694Marius's closest friend in the novel, and a warm and charismatic young man.
695----
696
697* BigBrotherInstinct: He shows this in taking in Marius, offering him his spare mattress when he has no other place do go, despite the fact that he doesn't end up joining the Amis. In the 2012 film, he takes on this role towards Gavroche, an actual child.
698* BlueBlood: Implied since he is ''de'' Courfeyrac, but he doesn't use it since he is anti-royalist.
699* TheCharmer: He's a very charming person, and the reason Marius associates with Les Amis in the first place.
700* {{Foil}}: The narrator explicit states Courfeyrac is the GoodCounterpart of Fantine's ex-lover Tholomyès.
701* TheHeart: Courfeyrac is described as the "center" of Les Amis, "shedding more warmth" than Enjolras and Combeferre.
702* ReallyGetsAround: Courfeyrac apparently has a "collection" of women.
703* SwordCane: The narrator notes he has one on the barricade.
704
705!!!Jean Prouvaire
706->''"Long live France! Long live the future!"''
707
708Prouvaire, who spells his name "Jehan", is a Romantic poet who is highly interested in the middle ages. He is gentle but intrepid.
709----
710
711* BadassAdorable: Described as a sweet poet who dresses badly, a "still softer shade than Combeferre", but this doesn't stop him from being pretty badass.
712--> He spoke softly, bowed his head, lowered his eyes, smiled with embarrassment, dressed badly, had an awkward air, blushed at a mere nothing, and was very timid. Yet he was intrepid.
713* BlueBlood: The only son of a rich family.
714* FanOfThePast: Very interested in medieval times.
715* TheHeart: He "loved the people, pitied women, and wept over the child."
716* InLoveWithLove: Said to be addicted to love, in fact.
717* InUniverseNickname: Jehan, a medieval spelling of Jean.
718* {{Omniglot}}: He speaks Italian, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, besides French.
719* KillTheCutie: He is captured during the fighting and executed by the National Guard, alone but still valiant.
720* PrisonerExchange: When Jean Prouvaire is captured by the National Guard, they plan to trade him for Javert. Defied, as he is swiftly executed.
721* YouAlwaysHearTheBullet: When he dies at the Guard's hands, his friends hear the gunshot that kills him from the other end of the street.
722
723!!!Joly
724->''"I have sworn to go through fire, but not through water. I don’t wand to get a cold."
725
726Another medical student, Joly is a hypochondriac and best friends with Bossuet.
727----
728
729* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Bossuet. They are specifically mentioned to share everything, including Joly's own mistress Musichetta.
730* {{Hypochondria}}: This is apparently a result of spending so much time at the hospital (he's training to be a doctor).
731* InUniverseNickname: Jolllly.
732* OfficialCouple: Him and Bossuet sharing everything notwithstanding, Joly is described as [[SickeninglySweethearts "wild for"]] Musichetta.
733
734!!!Lesgle/Bossuet
735
736->''"Well, then, let us drink. Besides, we might miss the funeral without missing the riot."''
737
738The notoriously unlucky member of Les Amis, with a limitless supply of good humor.
739----
740
741* BornUnlucky: He has ''terrible'' luck. Despite this, he is described as the happiest of Les Amis.
742* HeterosexualLifePartners: Joly and Bosset are specifically said to hold everything in common, including Joly's mistress Musichetta.
743* InUniverseNickname: Bossuet. Doubles as a GeniusBonus. It is actually a reference to monarchist and Bishop of Meaux [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-B%C3%A9nigne_Bossuet Jacques-Benigne Bossuet]]. [[note]]Lesgle sounds like "L'aigle" and Bossuet himself was a fierce orator, gaining the nickname "L'Aigle de Mots" (the Eagle of Words), pronounced like "Meaux."[[/note]]
744* PerpetualSmiler: His bad luck doesn't stop him from being a very cheery person.
745* PrematurelyBald: Left balding at the age of 25.
746* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In-universe, Lesgle/Lègle/Laigle/L'Aigle/[[OddNameOut Bossuet]].
747
748!!!Feuilly
749->''"Can anyone understand those men [...] who had promised to join us, and taken an oath to aid us, and who had pledged their honor to it, and who are our generals, and who abandon us!"''
750
751The only member of Les Amis who is not a student, Feuilly is an orphaned fanmaker who taught himself how to read and write. Very interested in international affairs, especially Poland, whereas his friends are occupied chiefly with France.
752----
753
754* HeroWorship: He incites this in Enjolras.
755* ParentalAbandonment: Already disadvantaged by being working class, he has no family.
756-->"This orphan had adopted the peoples. As his mother had failed him, he meditated on his country."
757* WorkingClassHero: The only one of the nine named members of ABC who is a worker.
758
759!!!Bahorel
760->''"This bishop’s prose shocks me; I want to eat eggs without being permitted. Your style is the hot and cold; I am amusing myself. Besides, I’m not wasting myself, I’m getting a start; and if I tore down that charge, Hercle! ‘twas only to whet my appetite."''
761
762A law student of eleven years with no intention of becoming a lawyer, who serves as a connection between the ABC and other unorganized groups. He is from a peasant background. He dies first out of the ABC on the barricade.
763----
764
765* AdaptedOut: He's the only member of the Amis who isn't in the musical, barring its film adaptation.
766* BigBrotherInstinct: In the book, he acts as a mentor for Gavroche during the rebellion, and teaches him their argot.
767* BoisterousBruiser: Friendly, cheerful, and always up for a good fight.
768-->"a wholesale blusterer, that is to say, loving nothing so much as a quarrel, unless it were an uprising; and nothing so much as an uprising, unless it were a revolution; always ready to smash a window-pane, then to tear up the pavement, then to demolish a government, just to see the effect of it ..."
769* LargeHam: Loudmouthed and bombastic.
770* {{Irony}}: The only one of the ABC from a peasant background, he is by far the least industrious among them and his malingering is a (impliedly intentional) mockery of the hard work his parents endured to send him to school.
771* TheSlacker: He has been a student for a very long time, yet only "rarely" passes by the law school, and he wastes his somewhat-large allowance "in doing nothing."
772-->''He sauntered. To stray is human, to saunter is Parisian''.
773[[/folder]]
774
775[[folder:Grantaire]]
776!!Grantaire
777
778->''"Gentlemen, my father always detested me because I could not understand mathematics. I understand only love and liberty."''
779
780A hard-drinking, cynical member of Les Amis de l'ABC who joined the cause [[NotInThisForYourRevolution because of his ardent admiration of Enjolras]].
781----
782
783* AdaptationalAttractiveness: He's described as ugly in the book. Actors to have played him include [[http://www.hadleyfraser.com/uploads/4/0/0/2/4002672/6891089_orig.jpg Hadley Fraser]], [[http://stagedoordish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tumblr_mdm64kemdg1r8qxtao1_r1_500.jpg Joseph Spieldenner]], and [[http://d3rm69wky8vagu.cloudfront.net/article-photos/large/1.158374.jpg George Blagden]].
784* AdaptedOut: There are adaptations where he either doesn't appear or isn't mentioned by name.
785* TheAlcoholic: One of his most notable traits is his love for drink.
786* AllLoveIsUnrequited: His love for Enjolras is left unreciprocated until their execution. The narration makes it clear that Enjolras consciously rejects him, but leaves it ambiguous whether this is out of personal contempt for Grantaire's apathy and alcoholism, IncompatibleOrientation, or Enjolras' ChasteHero tendencies.
787* AmbiguouslyBi: The book mentions that he has a mistress and he drunkenly gropes a waitress in the café, but his love for Enjolras is so full of HomoeroticSubtext that it's hard to read his feelings as platonic.
788* DeadpanSnarker: The standout example in the novel; a sure indicator of his skeptical nature.
789* DefiantToTheEnd: Refuses to surrender even when it's clear that the June Rebellion has failed.
790* DoomedMoralVictor: Along with the other members of Les Amis de L'ABC. He gets a special mention, as he chooses to die at their side despite his clear lack of passion for their cause.
791* DrowningMySorrows: "I'd like a drink. I desire to forget life."
792* {{Foil}}: The book dedicates an entire paragraph to describing how he's the exact opposite of Enjolras.
793* HeroicSacrifice: Rather than surrendering, he is shot with Enjolras.
794* HeterosexualLifePartners: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] His and Enjolras's relationship is compared to that of Orestes and Pylades -- with Grantaire being "an unaccepted Pylades."
795* HomoeroticSubtext: Their relationship is also compared to that of Achilles and Patroclus, and Alexander and Hephaestion. There's also a very intense scene where Grantaire, alone with Enjolras, whispers "be easy" in his ear.
796* LastNameBasis: Like the rest of Les Amis save Prouvaire, his first name is never revealed.
797* NotInThisForYourRevolution: He's really not. He's in it for Enjolras.
798* OppositesAttract: Given as the reason for his [[HoYay devotion]] to Enjolras. "We are attracted to what we lack."
799* PurpleProse: Has a tendency to slip into dramatic, flowery dialogue when monologuing about the misery of the world.
800* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Grantaire, whom Enjolras thought a faithless drunk, wakes up from his drunken stupor just in time to pronounce his belief in the Republic and die beside him.
801* SadClown: He's a comic relief character, yes, but that's only because he has a distinctly lack of purpose in his life. He copes with this through alcoholism and cracking the occasional joke.
802* SelfDeprecation: Grantaire can paint, dance, is skilled with an array of sports, and can reference a great deal of classical literature, as well as being very eloquent. However, he describes himself as being ignorant, and claims to "understand only love and liberty."
803* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: Passes out (unsurprisingly) drunk in the restaurant and sleeps through the majority of the battle... Only waking up in time to find the army about to shoot Enjolras.
804* SourSupporter: He criticizes the ideals of Les Amis and is really only around for his personal affection for his friends, and his admiration for Enjolras.
805* UndyingLoyalty: He would rather die by Enjolras's side than live without his friends.
806* WallOfText: Has at least two very long rants concerning philosophy, revolution, and general rambling nonsense.
807[[/folder]]
808
809[[folder:Azelma Thénardier]]
810!!Azelma Thénardier
811The second daughter and second born of the Thénardiers. During her childhood, Azelma, like her sister, is spoiled and imitates her mother's mistreatment of Cosette. After Cosette is taken away by Valjean and the family falls into poverty, Thénardier starts abusing his own daughters, which changes her; in the second half of the novel Azelma becomes quiet, shy, and constantly afraid of angering him. She survives the June Rebellion, only to end up emigrating to America with her father to live off slave trade.
812----
813
814* AdaptedOut: The musical adaptations and 2012 film. She did appear as a child in 1998 film adaptation, but just like Éponine in this movie, [[DemotedToExtra she didn't do much for the plot]].
815%%AscendedExtra: In the 2007 anime.
816* BarefootPoverty: As an adolescent, to reflect the state of the Thenardiers' finances.
817* EmptyShell: By the later chapters when she is an adolescent, she's become a quiet ghost of herself thanks to her father's abuse.
818* RichesToRags: See Eponine's entry.
819* SpoiledBrat: As a child, she was spoiled by her mother and thus treated Cosette badly.
820* TraumaCongaLine: She's neglected and abused, both physically and emotionally, by her father. She's so terrified of him that she'd rather break a windowpane with her bare fist than risk his anger. After that, she's caught by Javert and thrown into prison. Soon after, her whole family dies... except for her abusive father, and ends up going to America with him.
821[[/folder]]
822
823[[folder:Mabeuf]]
824!!Monsieur Mabeuf
825->''"Poor child, you can say that you had a father who loved you well."''
826
827An elderly churchwarden, Mabeuf knew Marius's father and is the one who tells Marius that his father loved him. He has a great love of books and is a fairly prominent horticulturalist, but he lives in poverty after his experiments with growing indigo failed. When he runs out of money to buy food with, and his servant requires expensive medicines, he is forced to pawn his life's work and sell off his collection of rare and unique books one by one.
828----
829
830* AdaptedOut: In the musical adaptations and some films.
831* BadassBookworm: His love for books is given much focus.
832* DeathSeeker: After having sold his last book, he joins the rebellion simply because he has nothing left to live for.
833* DyingMomentOfAwesome: He is shot down after waving the revolutionary flag atop the barricade and [[FacingTheBulletsOneLiner calling out]]:
834-->"Vive la revolution! Vive la république! Fraternity! Equality! And death!"
835%%TheCaretaker
836* HonorBeforeReason: Gavroche gives him Valjean's purse full of money so that he can recover from his poverty, but instead he turns it in to the police as a lost article. This is particularly [[DramaticIrony ironic]] because the audience knows the purse will never be returned to its owner.
837* InspirationalMartyr: After becoming the [[HeroicSuicide first to die]] on the barricade, he becomes an inspiration to the young revolutionaries.
838* TatteredFlag: Enjolras takes his blood-soaked, bullet-ridden coat after his death and declares it the new revolutionary flag to honour his sacrifice.
839[[/folder]]
840
841[[folder:Fauchelevent]]
842!!Fauchelevent
843A man whose life Valjean saves early on; later grants him and Cosette sanctuary at a convent.
844----
845
846* AdaptedOut: In the 1952 film. He is replaced by a film-only character named [[CanonForeigner Robert]].
847* ChekhovsGunman: Introduced as a minor character whom Valjean rescues. Later he saves Valjean's life by claiming they're related.
848* DeathByAdaptation: In the 2000 mini-series, he is shot to death at the barricades.
849* LastNameBasis: His first name is never revealed.
850* LastSecondWordSwap: "How in Chri—stmas are you going to get out of here?"
851* RelativelyFlimsyExcuse: Allows Valjean and Cosette to pose as his brother and niece at the convent he works at.
852[[/folder]]
853
854[[folder:Luc-Esprit Gillenormand]]
855!!Gillenormand
856
857->''"The French Revolution is a mess of scamps."''
858
859Marius's conservative, wealthy grandfather. A through and through royalist, he never approved of his daughter's marriage to Marius's dad. After her death, this led him to {{Blackmail}} Colonel Pontmercy into giving him Marius' custody and never seeing his son again. He threatened to dishinerit Marius should the Colonel not have complied. When Marius discovers this, he confronts his grandfather about it and abandons his home after a heated fight, leaving Gillenormand heartbroken. Gillenormand misses his grandson, but he's too proud to extend an olive branch. Only Marius being returned to him nearly dead after the insurrection scares Gillenormand into changing his ways.
860----
861
862* AbusiveParents: Abusive Grandparent, in this case. Gillenormand largely expresses his "affection" for his favored grandson with angry tirades and a raised cane, leaving Marius "trembling and mute" before him.
863-->"M. Gillenormand never addressed this child except in a severe voice, and sometimes, with uplifted cane: "Here, sir! rascal, scoundrel, come here!—Answer me, you scamp! Just let me see you, you good-for-nothing!" etc., etc. [[ToughLove He idolized him]]."
864* DirtyOldMan: Still maintains an active interest in skirt-chasing. His suggestion that Marius make Cosette his lover instead of marrying her is what causes the second rift between them
865* DiscoDan: Gillenormand is close to 90, and was a young man during the end of the Ancient Regime, and hasn't changed his attitudes, dress, etc., even though the world has changed around him. The result is that without changing anything, he's gone from a well-dressed man of the Enlightenment to a ridiculously unfashionable reactionary.
866* GruesomeGrandparent: To Marius. Though he actually feels love of some sort for his grandson, he still treats him harshly and cruelly.
867* HeelRealization: After Marius gets shot and nearly dies, he completely changes the way he acts around Marius, actually showing him care and affection and even apparently changing his political views.
868* MaliciousSlander: Gillenormand uses a combination of this and tight-lipped silence to imply that Marius' father is a bad sort, and as a result Marius grows up feeling embarrassed and disdainful of his father, despite him being a noble and brave man.
869* ParentalFavoritism: He favours Marius and Marius' mother; Marius' distant cousin Theodule is [[TheUnfavorite the unfavorite]]. [[note]]His favoritism and attention turn out to be not so great for Marius, though.[[/note]]
870* RamblingOldManMonologue: His rants tend to be long-winded, but his speech during Marius' and Cosette's wedding truly takes the cake[[note]]Trust us. You don't want us to quote the whole thing here[[/note]].
871[[/folder]]
872
873[[folder:Patron-Minette]]
874!!Patron-Minette
875Four petty thieves who closely associate with Thenardier. They try to rob the house where Valjean and Cosette take up residence, and are promptly arrested.
876----
877* AbhorrentAdmirer: Montparnasse, to Eponine. Doesn't stop him from occasionally threatening to murder her, though.
878* AdaptedOut: In some film adaptations, they don't appear.
879* AgentMulder: In the novel, their burglary of Valjean's house is ultimately foiled by a combination of Eponine's unrelenting threats to cry out for the police if they act, and Brujon's interpretation of her opposition as a very bad omen.
880--> “See here; this morning I came across two sparrows fighting, this evening I jostled a woman who was quarrelling. All that’s bad. Let’s quit.”
881-->They went away.
882* ConvenientlyCellmates: When Thénardier and the Patron-Minette gang get arrested, only Thénardier is put into a different cell from the others, who of course quickly devise a plan together and even manage to communicate the plan to Thénardier.
883* DumbMuscle: Gueulemer, who's brawny but not that bright.
884* TheFightingNarcissist: Montparnasse, who became a vicious street crook for the sake of staying fashionable and prides himself on his beauty even as he murders and steals his way through life.
885* TheGhost: Claquesous; it's mentioned that nobody had ever seen him in a decent light in all his recorded life.
886* ItsAllAboutMe: Brujon (in the musical) is only out for himself.
887* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Like their boss, they seem to worm their way out of punishment, but in the book it's mentioned that they were convicted for the Gorbeau Robbery ''in absentia'' and sentenced to life in prison. If they're ever arrested again, they're screwed.
888* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: After killing a innocent civilian Claquesous is executed by Enjolras.
889* MalevolentMaskedMan: Claquesous, who refuses to ever be seen without a mask.
890* TheMole: A police badge was found on Claquesous' dead body, implying he was one.
891* NoIndoorVoice: Musical Brujon shouts all the time.
892* PetTheDog: In the musical, Montparnasse and Eponine seem to be on better terms than they are in the book. In a weirdly adorable way, in fact, as "Attack on Rue Plumet" shows that they have nicknames for each other ("'Parnasse" and "'Ponine").
893* PrettyBoy: Montparnasse's good looks and "wide hips" are given emphasis in the narrative.
894* StandardEvilOrganizationSquad: An interesting example, as they are not specifically in opposition to the heroes without Thénardier's influence, and they have no greater goals beyond furthering their own personal fortunes through crime, but they very much fit this archetype during the times when they work together:
895** BigBad: Monsieur Thénardier, who effectively serves as their leader whenever they team up, with their goals defined and fuelled by his vendetta against Valjean. Can be seen as a ShadowArchetype of Valjean.
896** TheBrute: Gueulemer, a huge thug known for his massive stature and reliance on brute force.
897--> Gueulemer, built after this sculptural fashion, might have subdued monsters; he had found it more expeditious to be one.
898** TheBarnum: Babet, who claims to be a JackOfAllTrades with an [[MultipleChoicePast overly complicated past]] which is only consistent in showing his tendency to con and exploit others, and is presented as a WickedCultured psychopath who wants some degree of FameThroughInfamy.
899** UnseenEvil: Claquesous, whose uncovered face has allegedly never been seen in the light by even his comrades. His status potentially changes to TheManBehindTheCurtain as while it's all ultimately left ambiguous, he completely disappears following Enjolras' execution of Le Cabuc, indicating that they were likely the same person— and meaning that that person was also a [[TheMole police spy]] who was really good at his job.
900** TheSociopath: Montparnasse, by far the youngest of the group, is an [[GorgeousGeorge effeminately handsome narcissist]] who is motivated solely by the furthering of his own vanity into committing violent robberies and murders.
901** GuestStarPartyMember: A list is given at one point of Patron-Minette's numerous known associates, but Brujon turns out to be the most proactive one during the story's events, even replacing Gueulemer as a CompositeCharacter in the musical.
902** PerkyFemaleMinion: Eponine is shown to occasionally work alongside them, gathering information or scoping out marks, but in the end [[WildCard she has no true loyalty for their ends and is quick to turn against them if she decides she doesn't like what they're up to]].
903[[/folder]]

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