Next Generation

----Right. I'm going to skim over vast portions of my book, so jump in and try to keep up.


----Marius has become friends with a group called Les Amis de L'ABC, which means Friends of the ABC, or, a bilingual pun, Friends of the Abased, oppressed. They're a group of law students who are ready for a Revolution.


----Marius falls in love with a beautiful girl, Cosette. Due to her father's vigilance Cosette is forced to move away. Marius (and I'm not sure if this is scary or sweet) follows her around, snooping and asking questions until finally he finds out where she lives. However, he only gets this information with the help of Eponine, the Thernardiers' daughter, who is now grown up and has a crush on Marius. He and Cosette eventually meet up and realize they're soulmates. They sit in the twilight garden, laughing and murmuring to one another. Aaaawww...


----But then we leave their Eden and watch as, little by little, the Paris underworld is revealed. Here live the wretched creatures who once were human but now are filthy misshapen writhing beings who roll in squalor. And there are things more sinister- the worst of the gangs is the Patron-Minette, an unstoppable, famous, infamous group of the most evil beings who are as far from human as you can get. Their leader is... come on, you knew you'd be seeing him again... Thernardier. He tried to attack Valjean, who is operating under a different name now. Unfortunately for him, Thernardier and the rest of his gang go to prison but soon easily escape.


----The last character we've recently met is Gavroche, a street urchin around twelve years old. He's actually the abandoned child of Madame Thenardier who was kicked out when he was young. Anyway, he's out in the pouring rain when he sees two little boys, aged eight and five, who are whining and crying. They got separated from their wealthy mother (a relative of Marius') and have no idea what to do. So Gavroche takes the two boys into his care and they sleep in the hollow belly of an elephant statue. Sleep tight, little boys.