Hell in Symmetry

"As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but the slaughterhouses, the city wall, and there a factory façade, resembling a barracks or a monastery; everywhere hovels and heaps of trash, old walls as black as widows' clothes, and new walls as white as shrouds; everywhere, parallel rows of trees, buildings in rigid lines, low, flat structures, long, cold perspectives, and the dreary sameness of right angles. No variation in the terrain, not a caprice of architecture, not a wrinkle. Altogether, it was chilly, regular, and hideous. Nothing is so stifling as symmetry. Symmetry is boredom, the quintessence of mourning. Despair yawns. There is something more terrible than a hell of suffering -- a hell of boredom."

- Victor Hugo; Les Misérables; "Book Four: The Old Gorbeau House"; "I: Master Gorbeau"; pg. 432

"And, in truth, the mysterious impression worked on Cosette, in the deep woods at Chelles, by Jean Valjean's hand grasping her own in the darkness, was not an illusion but a reality. The coming of this man and his participation in this child's destiny had been the coming of God."

- Victor Hugo; Les Misérables; "Book Four: The Old Gorbeau House"; "III: Two Misfortunes Equal One Happiness"; pg. 437


So here we have God protecting a young girl in a hell of sorts. There is so much in this book that sheds light on the musical and provides much needed insight into the background and thoughts of the characters. There have been so many quotes I intended to post somewhere, so look forward to more of these! (She says to herself...)