One of the best novels of a classic of world literature. Jean Valjean, Cosette, Gavroche — the names of the heroes of the novel have long become household names, and the number of its readers has not decreased for a century and a half since the book was published; the novel remains popular. A kaleidoscope of faces from all walks of French society in the first half of the 19th century, vivid, memorable characters, grotesque and romantic elements, sentimentality and realism, a tense, captivating plot — the main reasons for the success of Hugo's book and also the main reasons for its frequent adaptation in world cinema.