Questions / Discussion Ideas

When we first meet Jean Valjean, he has been in prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. The harsh punishment for theft in the 19th Century was rooted in the belief that theft was a crime against the entire community and should be punishable by extreme means, no matter how petty the crime.

• How do we think about theft in our society?
• Should all crimes be punished in the same way? Should the reason behind a crime have anything to do with the punishment?
• Have you ever had anything stolen from you? How did it make you feel? Would it have mattered if someone had stolen from you to feed his/her family?

When Valjean is released from prison he is given a yellow ticket of leave, effectively branding him a criminal to all he meets, making it impossible for him to lead a normal life again.

• How does our society treat people on parole, or ex-convicts? Are they able to lead normal lives again? Why or why not?
• A great percentage of convicts released from prison end up back in jail soon after. Why is this, and what does it say about our "rehabilitation" system?

Assignments / Research And Writing Projects

• Trace the concept of crime and punishment from the 12th through the 20th Century. What can you learn about a society from how it treats criminals?
• Do you believe we have an effective system of justice in America? Why or why not?
• The figure of Justice is always portrayed as being blindfolded, that is, completely blind to anything but objective facts.
• Write an essay about your thoughts on "blind justice." Is justice ever completely blind? Is it ever completely blind in Les Misérables?
• Both Jean Valjean and Thenardier commit crimes in Les Misérables: Valjean first steals food to feed his family, then breaks parole when he is treated like an outcast by society, while Thenardier commits fraud and robbery for his own ends. Remember the blindfolded figure of Justice: should Valjean and Thenardier be treated differently by the Justice system? Is there a place for mercy in the Law? How so?