Les Misérables Volume III Book 8 Chapter 1-2

In which Marius, consumed by a sombre and relentless passion, wanders through the seasons with a heart heavy and a mind darkened by absence, encountering curious figures and fleeting shadows of hope that only deepen his melancholy. Amidst the dreariness of winter streets and the forlorn faces of ragged children, he discovers a small package that momentarily stirs his thoughts before he sinks again into the depths of his solitary reverie.