Les Misérables Volume I Book 8 Chapter 4 - Authority reasserts its Rights

In which the relentless grasp of law confronts the fragile thread of human mercy as Jean Valjean faces the implacable Javert, whose fierce resolve casts a shadow even over the dying Fantine. Amidst despair and quiet indignation, the tender ministrations of Valjean evoke a poignant testament to compassion in the presence of inexorable authority.