Les Justes Sparknotes

In the play Les Justes by Albert Camus, the main characters believe that they are serving the common people by plotting to overthrow the ruling elite of Russia. The fulfillment of their goals, and not taking into account the needs of the common people poses an important question, To what extent can someone be truly free if they are imprisoned? The protagonist of Les Justes, a young man named Yanek is very idealistic, and he believes that he is helping to set the poor free from the tyrannical rule of Russia’s government at the time. When Yanek goes to prison, he meets a man named Foka, who confronts Yanek about how much he is really helping the common people. Yanek ends up realizing that he has not been helping the common people as much as