Part II, Book 4, Chapter 2
A Nest for Two Birds of a Different Feather
Oh dear, the Gorbeau tenement is, indeed, where Valjean brings Cosette. Not gonna lie, I was kind of hoping that Valjean would whisk Cosette away to one of those fabulous palatial apartments you see in Paris (which I realize wouldn’t be possible, as those gorgeous Haussmannian buildings I picture hadn’t existed yet where we are in the story).
The “nest” these two fugitives have flown to is a barebones garret room: it’s got a mattress on the floor, a table and chairs, a stove, and a little cubicle with a cot. The vibe I’m getting here is “creepy basement where sinister kidnappers keep you as a hostage” but I guess for Cosette it beats a nest under the stairs!
Valjean puts the sleeping Cosette on the cot, kisses her hand, then kneels and watches her sleep. He gets the same feeling—”sorrowful, religious, overwhelming” that he got when he sat by Fantine’s bed in the hospital nine months ago. Hugo sure! loves! a parallel! and this is yet another one for the books.
In the morning, the sound of a cart outside wakes Cosette, who immediately yells, “Yes, madame! Coming!” and reaches for her broom before she realizes where she is. UGH yet another heartbreaking detail! Hugo keeps sprinkling these bits of pathos in, and I know what he’s doing, the sentimental bastard, and it always gets me anyway.
Cosette plays with Catherine (the boringly named doll) while asking Valjean questions, like a child would do! It’s amazing how quickly she rediscovers her state of actually being a child, after having been robbed of that status for five years as a slave in the Thénardier household. At one point she says, “This is such a nice place!”
Look, we have already established that Cosette is broken. Hugo writes, “It was a dreadful hovel, but she had a sense of freedom,” and lord that is so heartbreaking that Cosette had it so bad that not having to do hard labor in this horrible garret is like being at a resort for her.
In fact, she’s not totally sure that she’s totally free; she asks Valjean if she has to sweep, and he tells her, “You play.”
Cosette, like her mom, has no idea what is going on. Also like her mom, all she knows is that this kind man is safe and will protect her. And because of that, she’s happy.
I cannot believe a story where a lone middle-aged man with multiple criminal pasts buying a little girl and sneaking her into a sketchy building in a bad neighborhood is this wholesome. Good job, Hugo.
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