Charles Darwin once stated: “If the misery of the poor is caused not by natural laws, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” For the duration of the French Revolution, France is engulfed in chaos. Destitute men have no opportunity to prosper, women are forced into prostitution to support their families, and children are shrouded in the darkness of hunger, abuse and discouragement. These unfortunate victims of society are shunned by the rich, belittled by the government, and left alone to struggle and suffer in the ruins of France. In Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables, Cosette represents the child atrophied by darkness during her time with the Thénardiers, the beginning of her transformation, and the final completion of her othering. Cosette is a great example of the skill and resilience of the poor, being able to pick themselves up and move on with life even after years of dashed hopes. To start, Cosette is drowning in a darkness that is occupying her early childhood as a child. the scanty and thoughtless treatment, nourishment and love of the cruel Thénardiers. At the beginning of Hugo's novel, Cosette is a tiny, ragged little girl, constantly sweeping with large, miserable eyes always full of tears. The time spent with the atrocious caretakers is dramatically hindering his mental and physical growth. She is not fed enough, but is still expected to carry out the workload of an adult. In addition to stealing Cosette's precious years of youth, they are also swindling her mother, Fantine, out of her hard-earned money for Cosette. Basically, the Thénardiers treat Cosette as a source of money, rarely caring for the resources needed to keep up with her fragile health. For example, in the novel, the… middle of paper… accepts it from Jean Valjean, who raised her with pure paternal love. Cosette is returning that feeling, only without knowing it, making the topic foreign to her. Later, as Cosette receives unconditional love from her father, she also begins to discover her love for a man. During her daily walks with Jean Valjean in Luxembourg, Cosette, even without realizing it, begins to be attracted to Marius, a young gentleman. Just a moment of eye contact is enough to make both of you fall in love for the first time. Although she knows she is definitely attracted to Marius, Cosette is still confused by how she feels about this stranger. In the novel, the narrator states, “Cosette didn't know what love was. He had never heard the word spoken in its earthly sense. He therefore did not know what name to give to what he experienced" (Hugo 254).