Social reform in LEs Miserable

Hugo’s concern with social reform in Les Miserable includes his development of Fantine to illustrates his points. Hugo’s concern for the plight of society’s outcasts can be seen in the character of Fantine. Through the development of Fantine, Hugo adequately illustrates his concern with social reform. During her life, prostitutes were treated with no respect, this can be seen when Fantine has snow thrown down her back by a man she did not even know, Hugo states, “He crept up behind her with the gait of a wolf, and stifling his laugh, bent down, picked up a handful of snow from the pavement, and thrust it abruptly into her back, between her bare shoulders. The woman uttered a roar, whirled round, gave a leap like a panther, and hurled herself upon the man, burying her nails in his face, with the most frightful words which could fall from the guard-room into the gutter. These insults, poured forth in a voice roughened by brandy, did, indeed, proceed in hideous wise from a mouth which lacked its two front teeth.” Prostitutes have no legal rights and suffered abuse, so the fact that she becomes a prostitute further lowers her status to even more of an outcast and allows people to take advantage of her, just like M. Bamatabois did. If Fantine had not been a prostitute at the time, or if she hadn’t sold her teeth, Javert wouldn’t have put her in jail even though all Fantine was doing was defending herself. Previously in the book, Fantine’s situation is worsened than when she had begun, when she gives away her beauty in order to support Cossette,“Ah! Jesus God!" cried Marguerite. "Why, it is a fortune! Where did you get those louis d’or?’’I got them,’ replied Fantine. At the same time she smiled. The candle illuminated her countenance. It was a bloody smile. A reddish saliva soiled the corners of her lips, and she had a black hole in her mouth.”. In book three, the disappearance of her beauty makes society despises her even more. Because of Fantine’s previous