Character Relationship Map: Les Misérables

Characters

• Jean Valjean / Champmathieu (played by Jean Gabin) — protagonist

  Jean Valjean is the film’s central figure, a former convict whose past shapes the story. Javert remembers him as a prisoner who attempted escape four times. After escaping jail, Valjean pays for Fanti...

• Cosette (played by Béatrice Altariba) — supporting

  Cosette is the child whom Jean Valjean intends to take away from the Thénardier household. When Javert comes to arrest Valjean there, the danger affects both of them. Valjean and Cosette are later adm...

• Sister Simplice (played by Madeleine Barbulée) — supporting

  Sister Simplice helps Jean Valjean and those connected to him at crucial moments. She accepts Valjean’s payment to bury Fantine properly and later admits Valjean and Cosette to the convent, taking the...

• Thénardier (played by Bourvil) — supporting

  Thénardier is an opportunistic deserter from Napoleon’s Grande Armée who loots valuables from dead soldiers at Waterloo and inadvertently rescues Baron Pontmercy. Later, disguised, he meets Marius and...

• Fantine (played by Danièle Delorme) — supporting

  Fantine remains dead after Javert’s arrest of Jean Valjean and Valjean’s subsequent escape from jail. Unlike the novel’s described public burial, her body is still on her deathbed; Valjean pays Sister...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Thénardier → Cosette (Power Household Authority) — Thénardier's household is the setting from which Valjean attempts to remove Cosette.

  Jean Valjean goes to Thénardier's house intending to take Cosette with him.

• Fantine → Cosette (Family Mother) — Fantine's motherhood explains her desperate concern for Cosette.

  The character information identifies Cosette as Fantine's daughter and describes Fantine as the unmarried mother who must arrange care for her child.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Thénardier → Jean Valjean / Champmathieu (Conflict Adversarial Witness) — Thénardier becomes connected to the dispute over Valjean's identity and criminal history.

  While disguised, Thénardier uses newspaper clippings to challenge the mistaken belief about Valjean's criminal past.

• Sister Simplice → Cosette (Alliance Protector) — Sister Simplice helps secure Cosette's safety through convent refuge.

  The adaptation states that Sister Simplice admits Valjean and Cosette to the convent.

• Jean Valjean / Champmathieu → Sister Simplice (Alliance Supporter) — Their cooperation helps protect Fantine's dignity and provides refuge for Valjean and Cosette.

  Jean Valjean pays Sister Simplice to arrange Fantine's proper burial, and she later admits Valjean and Cosette to the convent.

• Jean Valjean / Champmathieu → Fantine (Alliance Benefactor) — Valjean responds to Fantine's death with an act of responsibility and care.

  After escaping jail, Jean Valjean pays Sister Simplice to bury Fantine properly while Fantine is still on her deathbed.

• Jean Valjean / Champmathieu → Cosette (Alliance Protector) — Valjean acts as Cosette's intended protector and guardian.

  The plot states that Jean Valjean is at Thénardier's house intending to take Cosette with him.

Story Analysis

The film follows Valjean's struggle between a criminal past, moral responsibility, persecution, and protection of Cosette.

Plot Progression

1. A Convict's Burden — The film introduces Valjean through his imprisonment and repeated escape attempts. Fantine's deathbed and Valjean's decision to arrange her burial establish the story's moral pressure.
2. Waterloo's Dark Legacy — A flashback exposes Thénardier's opportunistic conduct among the dead at Waterloo. The adaptation gives his military past a different explanation from the novel.
3. Flight with Cosette — Valjean reaches Thénardier's house intending to take Cosette. An arrest attempt forces Valjean and Cosette toward refuge.
4. Shelter Behind Convent Walls — Sister Simplice admits Valjean and Cosette to the convent. The refuge temporarily reduces the immediate danger surrounding Valjean's identity.
5. Evidence Against the Past — Thénardier appears in disguise and uses newspaper clippings concerning Valjean. The evidence challenges the accepted account of Valjean's criminal past before the film's final dramatic movement.