Les Misérables Volume 5, Chapter 4 Summary

Summary

The chapter opens at the insurgent barricade with a mood both triumphant and funerary as the men debate whether all should remain and die. Enjolras, the uncompromising leader, insists on limiting the number who will sacrifice themselves; he argues from principle that the republic cannot squander lives needlessly. A murmur of dissent follows until Combeferre intervenes, delivering an emotional appeal that reframes the choice as a duty to protect women, mothers, daughters and children who would suffer if their providers die. Combeferre’s rhetoric—full of domestic images and hard statistics about abandoned children—shifts the men’s thinking from abstract heroism to concrete responsibility.

Moved by both leaders, the insurgents employ a form of democratic self-selection to pick five men who must leave. The group then engages in a generous quarrel over who among the five should remain; each offers reasons rooted in family obligation. Marius, fevered and resigned to death yet retaining influence among the men, is called on to choose. As he struggles, a fifth uniform unexpectedly falls among the four already prepared—M. Fauchelevent has arrived in uniform. The newcomer is Jean Valjean in disguise, who has entered via Mondétour lane; by adding his coat to the pile he provides the necessary fifth uniform and rescues one man from certain death. His presence is quietly acknowledged and welcomed, and he helps the man don the uniform, while Enjolras reiterates the gravity of their situation.

Key events

1. Enjolras urges limiting the number who will die at the barricade.
2. Combeferre appeals to the men’s responsibility toward women and children.
3. The insurgents democratically select five men to leave.
4. A generous quarrel arises among the five over who should remain.
5. A fifth uniform appears: Jean Valjean (as a National Guardsman) has arrived and saves one.

Analysis

This chapter shifts the focus from collective revolutionary rhetoric to the ethical tensions between public glory and private duty. Enjolras embodies abstract, principled leadership; Combeferre counters with pragmatic compassion, forcing the group to weigh the wider social consequences of individual sacrifice. The debate stages a moral test for the insurgents and deepens the novel’s recurring theme of responsibility—both political and familial. Marius’s role is crucial: though consumed by fatalism, he retains moral authority, illustrating how inner turmoil can coexist with outward influence. Jean Valjean’s quiet entrance, disguised in a National Guards uniform, functions structurally as a deus ex machina that resolves the immediate selection crisis without fanfare; narratively, it reintroduces Valjean into the revolutionary scene and links his personal agency to the group’s fate. The uniforms themselves operate as a symbol of identity and exchangeability—by changing clothes, men can shift social status and escape death. Hugo’s technique mixes rhetorical speeches, democratic procedures, and close psychological observation to compress a large moral dilemma into a concentrated scene, foreshadowing later interactions between private obligations and public causes.

Important quotes

“Long live death! Let us all remain here!”

Narrator (reported cry)The insurgents voice a grim, triumphant desire to stay and die at the barricade, setting the chapter’s mournful tone.

“It is a question of women.”

CombeferreCombeferre frames the debate in human, domestic terms, shifting the argument from abstract glory to protecting women and children.

“He is a man who saves others," replied Combeferre.”

CombeferreCombeferre’s brief declaration explains the insurgents’ reaction to Jean Valjean’s arrival and serves as a character endorsement.

Characters in Volume 5, Chapter 4

• Enjolras
• Combeferre
• Marius
• Courfeyrac
• Bossuet
• Jean Valjean
• M. Fauchelevent