The basic problem of Hugo's work is stated in its title: Les Misérables, or "the miserable ones." Today, we would call them the poor, or the homeless. Poverty is an international problem which continues to grow every year.

• How do you feel about the homeless and the poor?
• Who do you feel is responsible for their problems? Themselves? The Government? Society in general? Why?
• How do you think poor people feel about the way they are treated?
• In Les Misérables, the beggars sing "When's it going to end? When we gonna live? Something's gotta happen now or something's gonna give"; what do they mean by this?
• In the story of Les Misérables, what reforms does Victor Hugo indirectly or directly advocate to fight social injustice?
• How do Hugo and the creators of the musical show the audience what social action is needed to correct these evils?
• Each of the characters in the story deal with the problem of "Les Misérables" in a different way. Describe how each of these characters see the poor:
  • Jean Valjean - The Bishop of Digne
  • Javert
  • Enjolras - Thenardier

  Which of these viewpoints do you agree with? Which do you think Victor Hugo agreed with?

• Hugo attempted to convince his audience that the poor and the outcast are worth saving. In our society, is this belief commonly held? Why or why not?
• Explore the conditions under which most common people worked in Hugo's time. What kinds of factory conditions were they forced to endure? How do they differ from conditions workers deal with today? Explore the influences of unions, child labour laws, environmental protection laws.
• Alain Boublil was influenced to begin the musical of Les Misérables after the character of the Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver! (based on Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist) brought to mind a singing Gavroche. Trevor Nunn and John Caird used techniques on Les Misérables they developed while directing Nicholas Nickleby, an adaptation of Dickens' novel.
  • Compare Dickens and Hugo as authors and social crusaders.
  • Compare the social problems and solutions in Les Misérables to situations addressed in works of Dickens such as: A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol.
• Compare Victor Hugo and his work in Les Misérables with the work of one of these modern social crusaders: George Bernard Shaw, Henrick Ibsen, Arthur Miller, John Steinbeck.