Chapter 40 The first sketch of two pairs of villainous faces

The mouse that was caught was thin, but the cat, even if it got a thin mouse, would be happy. What are the Thenardiers? Let's talk briefly now.Will add their outlines in the future. These people belonged to that mixed class of climbed vulgars and defeated intelligents, a mixed class between the so-called middle class and the so-called lower class, some of the weaknesses of the lower class and the vast majority of the middle class. It is a combination of some vices, and has neither the disinterested zeal of the worker nor the honest creed of the bourgeoisie. These little people, once instigated by viciousness, can easily become a ferocious force.That woman has the essence of being a villain, and that man is also material for a rascal.Both of them had that great possibility of violent development towards evil.There is a kind of people in the world who keep retreating into the darkness like shrimps. They only retreat and never advance in their lives, and they use experience to increase their ugliness, so that they keep getting worse and worse, and their hearts become more and more vicious.This couple is that kind of thing.

The Thenardier, in particular, could make his observers feel uncomfortable.We have only to look at some people to be afraid of them, and we feel that they are both dark and dark, that they are always afraid behind people, and they are fierce in front of people.Their hearts never tell others.We have no way of knowing what they did, nor what they will do.It was the veiled look in their eyes that would give them away.We only need to observe their words and deeds to imagine some shady secrets in their past life and some intrigues in their future life. This Thenardier, if we believe his own words, was a soldier; according to himself, he was a sergeant; .In the future we will know what kind of person he is.A personal experience in combat is depicted on the sign of his hotel.It was drawn by himself, because he can do a little of everything, but can't do it well.

Of the old classical novels at that time, after "Craley" there was only "Lodojska", and those books were still noble, but they became more and more vulgar as they went on, from Miss Scudli to Bloom-Mara Mme, from Madame Lafayette down to Madame Badlemy-Hadeau, novels of that kind set fire to the passions of the porters in Paris, and even in the suburbs.Mama Thenardier was intelligent enough to read just that kind of books.She slept in it, immersed her feeble brain powers in it, and so, when she was very young, and even when she was a little older, she always seemed preoccupied by her husband's side.Her husband, a deep slippery, idler, grammatically savage, shrewd, loves Bigot-LeBlanc as far as romance is concerned, "in matters of sex" (that was his catchphrase), But he is a serious Lu man, never messing around.His wife was twelve to fifteen years younger than he was.Later, when the romantic ponytail gradually turned into gray hair, and the beautiful woman turned into an ugly woman, Madame Thenardier became a fat, vile woman who had tasted some dirty novels.People who read bad books can't avoid bad influence.As a result, her eldest daughter was named Eponine.As for the little girl, the poor child, who was almost called Junal, was fortunately saved by a novel by Diclair-Deminier, and she was only called Azma.

We should also note, in passing, that the strange times we are now speaking of were not necessarily superficial in everything, although they were chaotic in terms of nicknames for children.Besides the romantic factor which we have just indicated, there is also a social influence.At present, it is not uncommon for the children of commoners to be called Arthur, Alfred, or Alphonse, and for vicomtes (if there are vicomtes) to be called Thomas, Pierre, or Jacques. The name of "elegance" is transferred to the common people, and the name of Murano is transferred to the nobles. Such exchanges can only be said to be the result of the agitation of equal thoughts.The new trend of thought penetrates into everything and is unstoppable. The situation of naming children is an example.Behind this chaos lies something great and profound, and that is the French Revolution.