Les Miséables is the story of Jean Valjean as he struggles to erase the stain that being a convict has left on his life, but the yellow passport signifying he is an ex-convict is like a brand that keeps him in its clutches, and haunts him until the day he dies. Jean Valjean was sent to the galleys for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving children. He emerges a hardened convict, but a chance meeting with the Bishop of a little town changes his life. Jean now strives to redeem himself, but his "scarlet letter" of having been convicted follows him wherever he goes. He tries to escape it by leading an honest and true life, but he does not feel like he deserves the good things that happen to him.

After he is released from the galleys, Jean searches for shelter in...