The impact of the marginal character“Every man has three characters: what he shows, what he has and what he thinks he has” – ( Alphonse Karr).Victor Hugo's Les Miserables is set during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution. A time of radical, social and political upheaval in France, a time when one's true character is revealed. “French society underwent an epic transformation as religious, feudal and aristocratic privileges evaporated under the sustained assault of liberal political groups and the masses in the streets. Old ideas about tradition and hierarchy have succumbed to new Enlightenment principles of citizenship and inalienable rights” (World News). The people of the 1700s experienced the storming of the Bastille, multiple constitutions, and changes in the role of women, the system of government, and the hierarchy of the Estates General. The French Revolution became a symbol of change, of ideals, a mark in history. Through a deeper explanation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, the intersections of the ideals of society, government, class, religion, and individuality, extremely prevalent during the French Revolution, are clearly manifested in the actions of the often overlooked marginal characters. Through his setting and the minor characters, Mademoiselle Baptistine, Madame Magloire, the Bishop, and Javert, Hugo clearly expresses his beliefs about the interaction of ideals in a person's life and the resulting effect on character. As a result, Mademoiselle Baptistine, as a peripheral character, is often overlooked, but when explained in more depth, she proves to unmistakably represent the intersection of the ideals of society, religion and individuality so omnipresent in Victor Hugo's novel Les... means of paper…] implacable duty [to be] absorbed by the police, [like] a ruthless detective, his whole life contained in these two words: to watch and to watch” (Hugo 55). All as a result of his unwanted legacy as the son of a criminal, Javert dedicates his life to justice, discipline, and order as a path to redemption from his deprived class. Javert sees the eradication of the unjust in the world as the divine act that can save. take him away from his misfortune. In Hugo's Les Miserables, the intersections between society, class, religion, government, and the individual are prevalent. Works Cited "Alphonse Karr Quotes - BrainyQuote". Famous Quotes on BrainyQuote. Network. February 22, 2011. "Category: 1794 Events of the French Revolution." News from the world. Network. February 22. 2011. .