transformative power of love

And Les Miserables takes a novel about many kinds of social problems; injustice,
corruption, poverty, prostitution, cruel punishments, thievery, political
resistance, etc. and makes it into a beautiful musical. But the problem is; none of
these things are beautiful.

the injustices and disproportionate sentences piled upon Jean Valjean

the abuses suffered by Fantine
the brutality foisted on Cosette
the maltreatment of Enjolras and his fellow revolutionaries
the plight of homeless children

All of these are examples of society�s injustice toward the lower classes.

if men murder and steal and women fall from grace out of desperation, it is not
their fault because they can find no honorable path to sustainability within the
constructs of society. Rather, it is the fault of society and its creations, the
state and the law. The state and its legal system are shown to be disinterested in
the conditions of the dangerous classes. Society is thus culpable for dehumanizing
the poor and for the crimes committed by the dregs of society.

no chance for redemption, and illustrates how France�s prison system not only
continues, but also accelerates, the downward spiral of criminals. On the one hand,
Valjean represents suppressed and destitute people whose place in life is
determined by positive laws created by society�s elite in order to perpetuate their
own superiority. On the other hand, Valjean illustrates that it is possible for men
to rise above their circumstances.