Les Misérables: A Short & Slightly Sarcastic Summary Part 3

Chapter 4: A Bottle Of Ink That Serves Only To Whiten

~flashback time~

But not too far back, just to earlier the same day.

Marius is chilling at home when he gets a letter announcing the arrival of someone at his (or his grandfather's? Idk which to say) house. Marius recognizes the handwriting. The letter says that this someone has a great secret to tell him. It is signed 'Thenard.' 

(I think I know who it is hehe)

Marius asks for the man to be shown in. 

This guy comes in and he's looking pretty spiffy and wealthy, although he's kind of bent over. His suit is fairly nice and he has a watch on a chain and such.

Then we learn about this place in Paris where this guy stocks up costumes such as these. He knows a secret way into a theater and steals costumes of all sorts. Noblemen, police, different sorts of workingmen, etc. Someone from the poorer parts of Paris has to only pay him 30 francs and they can pick any costume they like to wear for a day. Of course, the costumes rarely fit perfectly.

This man who called on Marius is wearing one of those costumes.

Now Marius sees past this disguise and is like, "What do you want?"

And the guy is like, "Okay so there's this place in central America that I want to go live in because it's cool and wealthy except I don't have the money to get there so I was hoping you could give me the money after I tell you a secret that you will want to know."

Marius is like, "Fine. Tell me the secret."

The guy proceeds to tell Marius that he has a robber and a murderer in his house. And that his name is Jean Valjean.

Dun DUN--

"Yeah I know that already."

He is also a former convict.

Dun DUN DUUU--

"I know that, too."

Then this guy tries to get Marius to pay him for the secret, but Marius is like no way I already knew that secret nice try. Then Marius proceeds to reveal that he also knows exactly who this guy is.

THENARDIER

(I KNEW IT)

And then Marius throws a five-hundred bank note in his face. (...okay?)

Thenardier gives up the disguise and straightens up. He really looks at Marius, but he does not recognize the connection between simply Marius and Baron Pontmercy. He has no idea that this was the young man who used to live next to him.

However when he sent Azelma to investigate at the wedding, she found out who the couple was. Then Thenardier made connections until he landed with Valjean, who he recognized from the sewer.

Now Marius claims to know the rest of the secret as well. Valjean is a robber because he stole from M. Madeleine and he is a murderer because he killed Javert.

WRONG

And Thenardier explains how Valjean was Madeleine and how Javert killed himself. He is also able to show proof of these claims so Marius doesn't think he's lying.

Then Thenardier tells Marius of how he ran into Valjean in the sewer and how he had murdered and robbed the body that was with him. Thenardier even shows him the bit of the body's coat that he had ripped off.

Marius is like, "WAIT A MINUTE."

And he pulls out a bloody and dirty coat that he had stashed somewhere and matches up the scrap of the coat to the whole coat.

Marius starts yelling at Thenardier for being a liar and trying to trick him. Then he throws a thousand franc bill in his face. (what-what are you doing?)

Thenardier leaves kind of afraid but also happy because he scored some money. I still don't understand why Marius gave him any money at all.

Then Marius calls for Cosette and tells her that Valjean was the one that saved him from the barricade and that they must visit him right away.