A poor peasant who once stole a loaf of bread to feed his sister's seven children and spent 19 years in prison. The torments of prison turned him into an enemy of humanity, a wild man with a heart of stone. However, the forgiveness of the kind-hearted Bishop Myriel, who gave him his silver and said, 'I give your soul to God,' ignites a spark in his soul. Changing his name and identity, he becomes Monsieur Madeleine, a wealthy and virtuous mayor in Montreuil-sur-Mer. For years, he hides his secret, working for justice, education, and charity. Yet, through a twist of fate, when an innocent man is about to be imprisoned in Arras because of him, he undergoes an internal reckoning, confesses in court, and is again surrendered to the chains of the galley slave.
Born in the Brie region, he lost his parents early. He was raised by his sister and worked as a pruner in his youth. On a freezing winter day in 1795, when he became unemployed, he was sentenced to 5 years for breaking the window of the baker Isabeau and stealing bread, and his sentence was extended to 19 years due to four unsuccessful escape attempts. He emerged from the Toulon prison hulks in 1815 as prisoner 24601, hardened and hostile toward justice.
Initially, he had a wretched and frightening face with thick-nailed shoes, an animalistic complexion, and a ragged, patched yellow jacket. In his time as Mayor Madeleine, he is a large-framed man of about fifty with rapidly graying hair, wearing a redingote with a reddish collar; he is noble, melancholic, and inspires trust with his presence.
Javert
The hunter and representative of sharp, unforgiving justice who never leaves his side.
Cosette
Fantine's legacy, an orphan to whom he has dedicated his life to show affection and bring happiness.
Fantine
The mother crushed and torn apart by the system, whom he swore to protect and saw to it that she rested in peace.
Piskopos Myriel
A spiritual father and the sole architect of his awakening from the darkness.