Les Misérables Volume 4, Chapter 2 Summary

Summary

The chapter opens in the wine-shop Corinthe where Laigle de Meaux (nicknamed Bossuet) and his friend Joly breakfast together; they are joined by Grantaire and two serving women, Matelote and Gibelotte. The three men exchange humorous, learned, and cynical remarks about coats, oysters, Paris, history, and revolutions while Grantaire launches into a long, comic, and increasingly drunken monologue about the world, God, and the necessity of revolutions. Their talk mixes mock-philosophy and mock-melancholy: Grantaire both belittles political causes and exalts drink as the only reality.

A street-child arrives with a message from Enjolras; the boy Navet (a friend of Gavroche) delivers a coded warning—"A B C"—about the burial of Lamarque, and the men debate whether to join the procession and possible riot. Grantaire decides to stay drinking; Bossuet (Laigle) and Joly vacillate but remain. The mood shifts as distant cries and the sight of Enjolras and a band of armed youths—Gavroche, Feuilly, Courfeyrac, Jean Prouvaire, Combeferre, Bahorel and others—pass by preparing a barricade. Bossuet calls to Courfeyrac, who brings the crowd into the Rue de la Chanvrerie; at his signal the mob pours in to erect a barricade. The chapter ends with the wine-shop companions choosing to remain while the insurrectionary group takes to the street.

Key events

1. Laigle (Bossuet) and Joly breakfast at Corinthe; Grantaire joins them.
2. Grantaire delivers an extensive drunken monologue about God, revolutions, and drink.
3. A street urchin (Navet) brings Laigle a message from Enjolras: the code "A B C."
4. The men debate leaving for the funeral/riot; Grantaire refuses and stays.
5. Enjolras and a band of armed youths march past to build a barricade.
6. Bossuet signals Courfeyrac; the crowd enters the Rue de la Chanvrerie to erect a barricade.

Analysis

This chapter functions as a comic, revealing interlude that deepens character and sets the street-level mood before the action of the barricade. Through extended dialogue and social banter in the wine-shop, Hugo contrasts the drunken, cynical bystanders (Grantaire) with the earnest young revolutionaries (Enjolras and his circle), highlighting differing responses to political urgency. Grantaire’s mock-philosophical tirade foregrounds themes of disillusionment, spectacle, and the idea that revolutions are recurring, almost theatrical phenomena; his insistence that "drink" is the only reality also signals his role as a foil to committed idealists. The arrival of the child messenger and the coded "A B C" introduce a note of urgency and secrecy, foreshadowing immediate street action without resolving the political stakes here.

Narratively, Hugo uses the wine-shop as a microcosm of Parisian life where comic detail (oysters, threadbare coats, nicknames) coexists with the looming upheaval outside. The chapter builds tension incrementally: conviviality and satire give way to the drumbeat of revolt as Enjolras’s group appears. The technique—long, digressive monologues interrupted by abrupt street noises—mimics the unpredictability of public events and emphasizes the social variety present on the eve of confrontation. Symbolically, the shabby warmth of the wine-shop contrasts with the cold discipline of the marchers, underlining divisions between talkers and actors.

Important quotes

“I am passing by. I smell from the street a delicious odor of Brie cheese. I enter.”

GrantaireGrantaire announces himself as he joins Laigle and Joly at the wine-shop, immediately setting his irreverent tone.

“Two bottles never yet astonished a man.”

GrantaireA brief witty line that epitomizes Grantaire’s cavalier attitude toward drinking and excess early in the scene.

“There is but one reality: drink.”

GrantaireDuring his extended ironic tirade on revolutions and providence, Grantaire reduces meaning to intoxication, revealing his cynicism and role as foil to the revolutionaries.

Characters in Volume 4, Chapter 2

• Laigle de Meaux
• Bossuet
• Joly
• Grantaire
• Matelote
• Gibelotte
• Navet
• Gavroche
• Enjolras
• Courfeyrac
• Feuilly
• Jean Prouvaire
• Combeferre
• Bahorel
• Madame Hucheloup