Les Misérables (novel)/Characters

Main Characters

Jean Valjean

The lead character, a convict who spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. After getting his parole ticket, Valjean steals two candlesticks from the Bishop of Digne but is allowed to take them with the promise he uses them to make something of his life. Several years on, Valjean becomes the guardian of young Cosette after making a promise to her mother Fantine.

• The Atoner
• Badass Grandpa
• Buried Alive: Happens to him to get to the dying Fantine.
• Chekhov's Gun: The two candlesticks he steals from the Bishop of Digne lead him to turn his life around.
• Death by Despair: 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.
• Earn Your Happy Ending
• Faking the Dead: Happens in the novel.
  • And in the anime, declared by Javert of all people.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Though the Thenadiers thinks so.
  • "Thank you both... For Cosette/ It won't take you too long to forget."
• Have a Gay Old Time
• Heel Face Turn: Has one when Bishop of Digne lets him go with the candlesticks.
• It Was a Gift: The candlesticks Valjean steals from the Bishop of Digne.
• Jaywalking Will Ruin Your Life: Spending nineteen years in prison took its toll on Valjean.
• Load-Bearing Hero: Valjean saves a man trapped under a heavy wagon by single-handidly raising it up, but it has serious consequences since Javert witnesses the event.
• Memetic Number: 24601.
• The Messiah: For Fantine and Cosette.
• Parental Substitute: To Cosette, per his promise to Fantine to care for her.
• Super Strength
• Turn the Other Cheek: Valjean is a master at this.
• Wife Husbandry: Seems to consider doing this for a split second at one point. Probably fortunately for all involved, the idea just as quickly Squicks him out.
• You Are Number Six: Javert refers to him by his prison number name, usually "24601".

Inspector Javert

Inspector Javert is head of the prison Jean Valjean is released from, and makes it his goal in life to track Valjean down after he breaks his parole and bring him to justice.

• Antagonist in Mourning: In the anime, Javert visits Valjean's grave when he dies.
• Badass Longcoat: Owner of a very nice black trenchcoat, and is the terror of criminals everywhere.
• Born Lucky: Part of the reason why criminals are so afraid of him.
• By-The-Book Cop
• BSOD Song: 'Javert's Suicide'.
• Characterization Marches On: In the anime, Javert overcomes his belief that no one can change and aids Marius when Thernadier tries to blackmail him.
• Deadpan Snarker: Especially in the book, though he sneaks a few lines into the musical as well.
• Determinator: Taken to the Implacable Man trope in some versions of the book.
• Dressing as the Enemy: Javert goes undercover to destroy the revolutionists, but is ratted out when Gavroche sees through his Paper-Thin Disguise.
• Driven to Suicide: 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.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: In the anime.
• Inspector Javert: Trope Namer.
• Knight Templar
• Nice Hat: Wears a nice 19th Century French hat for much of the anime.
• Oral Fixation Fixation: Snuff.
• Stern Chase: Javert never gives up the chase to get Valjean.
• The Stoic
• Tall, Dark and Snarky
• Villainous Breakdown: Subverted, since he is technically a hero.
• Will Not Tell a Lie: In the book, at least.

Fantine

A single mother, Fantine suffers through life trying to earn money to send to her daughter Cosette, under the care of the Thenardiers. After losing her job, 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.

• Break the Cutie
• Broken Bird: By the time Fantine dies, 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 when Valjean arrives to save her.
• Doting Parent
• Hair of Gold
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Sadly resorts to prostitution to pay the Thénardiers for Cosette's upkeeping.
• Ill Girl: Reduced to "a ghost of herself" before she dies.
• Mama Bear: She adores Cosette with her life.
• Parents in Distress
• Take Care of the Kids: Fantine's request to Valjean to look after Cosette, becomes his key motivation in the book, musical, etc.
• The Tooth Hurts: In the book, she sells her front teeth (and rips them out herself with pliers) to raise money to help Cosette.
• Woman in White: In the musical.

Cosette

The poster girl of the book and musical, Cosette is the daughter of Fantine, left in the "care" of the Thénardiers. Becoming their abused cleaner, 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.

• Barefoot Poverty: As a child in the novel. See picture on the Novel work page.
• Cinderella Circumstances: Treated like garbage by her step-family, rescued by a saviour, and falls in love with a handsome man.
• Disappeared Dad: Cosette does not remember her actual father and accepts Valjean as her father.
• Elegant Gothic Lolita: As a kid, after Valjean adopts her.
• The Ingenue
• Hair of Gold: Often played by a blonde actress in adaptations. In the book, she is described as a brunette with gold threads through her hair.
• Happily Adopted: After Valjean adopts her.
• Heartwarming Orphan: After Fantine's death.
• Love Triangle: Between herself, Marius and Éponine.
• Nice Girl: Incredibly kind and friendly, even to the Thénardiers.
• Orphan's Ordeal
• Purity Personified
• Rags to Riches

Marius Pontmercy

A charming young bachelor, Marius falls in love with Cosette, leading to Love Triangle between the two and Éponine, who is very much his friend and confidante (whether he wants her to be or not). He is a member of the Friends of the ABC and fights in the revolution against the French law.

• Adorkable
• Author Stand In: Hugo Victor revealed Marius is a portrait of how he was as a youngster.
• Break the Cutie: When all his friends die.
• Emo Teen: Somewhat.
• Heroic BSOD: When he learns he is the only survivor of the barricade fight.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Losing his father and isolating himself from his strict, but well-meaning grandfather turns him into this.
• Oblivious to Love: Oblivious to Éponine's love, and sending her off to deliver a love letter to Cosette is a right dagger in her heart.
• Relationship Compression: With both Cosette and Éponine in the musical. Éponine becomes his best friend rather than a mere associate.
• Survivor Guilt: Especially in "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables."
• Tell Me About My Father: 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.

Éponine Thénardier

The eldest daughter 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, but ends up bringing him and Cosette together.

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Éponine is notably more attractive in the musical than she is in the book. She's also a lot less creepy.
• Affably Evil: Okay, maybe not evil, but still quite manipulative.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Poor Éponine.
• Barefoot Poverty: As an adolescent in the novel.
• Chekhov's Gunman: 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.
• Clingy Jealous Girl
• Dying Declaration of Love
• Heroic Sacrifice
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Shows traits of this despite hating Cosette and being very clingy to Marius. This is a possible interpretation of why she took the bullet for Marius.
• If I Can't Have You: In a rather shocking move, Éponine anonymously tells Marius that his friends are expecting him to come to the barricade. Believing Cosette has left for England, Marius goes, with Éponine close behind hoping they can die together.
• Last Request: In the novel, Éponine asks Marius to kiss her on the forehead after she dies. He does.
• Nice Hat: She has a famous one in the musical, and possibly also this illustration from the novel (which appears to be the inspiration for her musical costume), though it's kind of hard to tell if it's a hat or if her hair's just puffed up in the front.
• The Ophelia: Actually compared to the Trope Namer.
• Samus Is a Girl: Éponine disguises herself as a boy to secretly be by Marius' side, and when she takes a bullet for him and her identity is revealed, he is shocked.
  • Sweet Polly Oliver
• Spoiled Brat: In her younger years.
• Stalker with a Crush
• Taking the Bullet
• Together in Death: The other possible interpretation as to why she took the bullet for Marius. The Flame Wars that have erupted around this are legendary, and the debate was once considered notable enough to be once mentioned on The Other Wiki.
• Unkempt Beauty: The book notes her to be one; she's rather more traditionally pretty in the musical.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Seemingly in the musical.

Enjolras

Head of the Friends of the ABC club, Enjolras seeks radical change in France and starts a revolution against the French law, building a barricade to take a stand with his friends.

• Angry Mob Song: "Do You Hear the People Sing?"
• Celibate Hero
• Crucified Hero Shot
• Hair of Gold
• La Résistance
• Pretty Boy
• The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified
• Wide-Eyed Idealist

Monsieur and Madame Thénardier

A 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 becomes criminals in Paris. They have several children including Éponine, Azelma, Gavroche and two other unnamed sons.

• Abusive Parents: Mainly Thénardier, Madame Thénardier seems to genuinely care for her girls.
• Apron Matron: Madame Thénardier to her daughters.
• Dirty Coward
• Evil Gloating: Thénardier pulls this when he has captured Valjean.
• Evil Is Petty
• Evil Matriarch: Madame Thénardier.
• The Fagin
• Karma Houdini: Thénardier gets away with all of his crimes in the book and musical.
  • Averted in the anime.
• Parental Abandonment: To their three sons.
• Plucky Comic Relief: In the musical. Still creepy, though.
• Self-Serving Memory: 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.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Madame Thénardier in the musical and the 2007 anime.
• Unholy Matrimony
• Villain Song: "Master of the House," "Dog Eat Dog" and "Beggar At The Feast."

Gavroche

The eldest son of the Thénardiers, Gavroche fends for himself in Paris and has little connections to his family. He joins the rebels at the barricade.

• Ascended Extra: Has a very prominent role in the anime although it also follows the book closely.
• Kid Appeal Character
• Killed Off for Real
  • Spared by the Adaptation: In the 2007 anime.
• Satisfied Street Rat
• Street Urchin

Supporting Characters

Bishop Myriel of Digne

A friend 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.

• Eccentric Mentor
• The Messiah: To Jean Valjean.
• Posthumous Character
• Turn the Other Cheek
• The Vicar: Subverted, since he's a Bishop.

Friends of the ABC Club

A group of gentlemen led by Enjolras who start the revolution against the French law. Other members include Marius, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Jean Prouvaire, Feuilly, Bahorel, Laigle (nicknamed Bossuet), Joly and the resident drunk Grantaire.

• The Alcoholic: Grantaire.
• Heroic Sacrifice
• La Résistance
• Last Stand: Enjolras and Grantaire face their military as they corner them in the clubhouse.
• Sour Supporter: Grantaire.

Azelma Thénardier

The second daughter of the Thénardiers, Azemla is dependent and weak-minded and never disobeys her parents.

• Barefoot Poverty: As an adolescent.
• Cool Big Sis: Sees Éponine as this trope.
• The Ditz
• Empty Shell: By the later chapters when she is an adolescent.

Monsieur Mabeuf

An elderly churchwarden, Mabeuf was a friend of Marius' father and buries Colonel Pontmercy after meeting Marius. He is fond of books and plants, but when he is forced to sell all of his books and his wife dies, he joins the rebellion.

• Badass Grandpa
• Bookworm
• The Caretaker
• Cool Old Guy
• Heroic Sacrifice: Gets gunned down whilst raising the rebel flag atop the barricade.