well now there then

"You could have said all of that in...three words or something."

Bonk

Thud

Thump

Boom

Ouch

That’s a REALLY good question, and unfortunately tough to answer. To quote this awesome post on the monetary system of early 19C France by Ten Little Bullets:

Conversion to modern currency:

Basically, don’t even try it. The relative prices of various commodities were all different in the early 19th century: rent and services were cheap, food and durable goods like clothing were expensive. It’s nearly impossible to construct any kind of meaningful exchange rate. The closest I’ll come is to say that you can get an extremely rough estimate by considering an early 19th century franc to be worth somewhere between 10 and 20 modern British pounds.

 @tenlittlebullets  also gives some useful reference in this post :

 In terms of actual purchasing power, though, a franc was in the realm of $20 or so. Establishing exchange rates between historical and modern currency is a nightmare because the relative prices of everything have shifted so much (rent and labor were cheaper, material goods like food and clothing more expensive), but $20 is a nice round number that gives you $1 as the value of a sou and $.20 as the value of a centime, and tends to give you more-or-less sane-sounding prices for things. 

 So: $1 for a loaf of bread, $6 for a mutton chop, $40/hour for a taxi, Feuilly as a skilled artisan makes $60 a day ($5 to $7.50 an hour depending on the length of his workday), Fantine gets $400 for each of her front teeth, Marius’ annual(!) rent for his crappy room is about $600 and his annual earnings are about $14,000, Myriel’s annual stipend as bishop of Digne is a whopping $300,000 and he and Baptistine and Magloire live on $30,000 after giving the rest to charity. If anything, it’s an underestimate, but “a sou is $1 and a franc is $20” is the most convenient way to eyeball prices in the book.

Disclaimer: I am neither a military historian nor a re-enactor. I am a simple writer who enjoys going on random research binges for historical authenticity. The following information is aimed specifically at what the revolutionaries in Les Misérables (a group of civilians with limited concern for their own wellbeing) on the barricades might have done and does not reflect best / correct military practise of the time, or proper safety precautions used today. 

That said, here is the information I’ve collated for my own fic writing purposes:

Mapping the historical barricade site near the Saint-Merry church which served as inspiration for Les Misérables.

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Map Sources (links)

Source Maps: The Church

Source Maps: The Main Barricade Area

Part 3: Hôtel Jabacq, House no. 30, Café Leclercq

Part 4: Café Rossignol, Rue Maubuée

After extensive Google-fu, I’ve compiled as much information as I can find on the French police prefecture during Les Miserablès and specifically, Javert’s mysterious patron, M. Chabouillet. If anyone cares to add to this post, please do; I can’t read a word of French, and aside from the almanacs, I haven’t dug into any original documents from that time period. Most of my conclusions regarding the police hierarchy are from papers written in the mid-to-late 1800s, which saw great changes in the Paris bureaucracy.

Tracking down Javert’s Patron In the brick, Victor Hugo introduces a M. Chabouillet, Javert’s patron, who facilitates his career within the police force. When we first meet Javert in Montreuil-sur-mer, he writes (Vol. 1, Book 5, Ch. 5):

Javert owed the post which he occupied to the protection of M. Chabouillet, the secretary of the Minister of State, Comte Anglès, then prefect of police at Paris.

Later, after Valjean escapes to Paris, M. Chabouillet arranges for Javert to move to the capitol as well (Vol. 2, Book 5, Ch. 10):

Javert’s zeal and intelligence on that occasion had been remarked by M. Chabouillet, secretary of the Prefecture under Comte Anglès. M. Chabouillet, who had, moreover, already been Javert’s patron, had the inspector of M. sur M. attached to the police force of Paris.

With these two pieces of information, I started digging in the Paris almanac archives for any references to a Chabouillet [1]. As it turns out, there exist two men with the surname of Chabouillè, who served within the Prefecture of Police during this time.

The first is an Architectes inspecteurs divisionnaires in 1820 [1], which roughly translates to divisional inspector architect. I couldn’t find a description of this position around that decade, or any other position for that matter. The best document on the Prefecture’s administration is a letter from H.S. Sanford in 1854 [5], so I’ll refer to it for the rest of this post even though the bureaus and their responsibilities got shuffled around like musical chairs. On pg. 344, Sanford speaks of a “…commissary of the petite voirie, who has under him four architects of the first class, and six architects of the second class.” They are part of the active service in the 2nd bureau, 2nd division, with duties involving the inspection of buildings, quarries, and mines. I don’t see this man’s jurisdiction overlapping with Javert’s position handling criminal cases. Javert would not have written him regarding M. Madeleine, and I doubt he would have the power to send Javert to Montreuil-sur-mer or Paris.

However, the second Chabouillè is the head of the 1st bureau, 1st division in the Prefecture of Police. He holds this post over the years 1810 to 1831, which overlap with Comte Anglès’s term as well as Javert’s career as a policeman. (Some almanacs are missing, so he might have been there longer. He’s not listed in the position in 1808 or 1833). This bureau’s responsibilities also cover public order and security matters directly related to Javert’s investigations: “Pursuit of criminals and delinquents signalized or unknown, and against whom no writs have yet been issued… suicides and accidental deaths… carrying of forbidden arms… supervision of liberated prisoners, convicts, rèclusionnaires, and others…” [6, pg. 338]. As head of this bureau, Chabouillè ranks high up there in terms of power (see the section How Powerful was Chabouillè?), so it makes sense he would be Javert’s patron and have the authority to summon Javert to Paris.

Why then does Hugo call Chabouillet the secretary to Anglès? I believe he actually means that Chabouillet performed secretarial duties, not that his position was literally that of a secretary. There is no Chabouillè listed as secretary general or any form of secretary during Anglès’s term in the almanacs. However, Napoleon organized the bureaus as an administrative structure to aid the Prefect in carrying out his immense duties [2]. In 1809, when Vidocq entered the government, the 1st division was considered the Administrative Branch [12] since it had no active service component, and Chabouillè would have been tasked with much of the paperwork involved in policing Paris. (Later on, I think the 1st bureau, 1st division had a more direct hand in investigations). So it makes sense for Hugo to refer to him as secretary to the Prefect if we consider all bureau chiefs performed such duties.

Where did Chabouillè Live? As a nice bonus, I discovered that the almanacs contain the residential addresses of many important people! For example, M. Gisquet, the Prefect in 1831, is listed as residing on Rue de Jerusalem, which is where all prefects lived during their term. I looked up Chabouillè, and his address in 1825 is the cul-de-sac S.-Claude-Montmartre, 2. In 1827, this changes to S.-Martin, 226, which lies in the aristocratic Marais district, where he remains through his departure as bureau chief in 1833. Interestingly, he is joined at this address by two Madame Chabouillè’s: one a libraire and one a papetier with a F. Guyot. Family members, perhaps?

You can search these addresses on the Les Miserables map to get a sense of where he lived relative to other characters in the brick.

How Powerful was Chabouillè? The Police in Montreuil-sur-mer To understand how much power Chabouillè wielded, we must first take a detour into the labyrinthine structure of the Prefecture of Police. France is divided into administrative regions called departments, which are sub-divided into arrondissements, cantons, and finally, communes. Each department has its own prefecture (except Paris, see below) governed by a prefect, who is a representative of the national government, and for those arrondissements that don’t contain the prefecture, a sub-prefect carries out the same administrative duties, reporting directly to the prefect. Police responsibilities are divided between the mayor and the prefect. The prefect is responsible for the general safety of the State and his department (police generale), while the mayor is in charge of public safety in his commune (police municipale) and the countryside (police rurale).

Montreuil-sur-mer is a single commune falling inside the jurisdiction of a sub-prefecture. As mayor, Valjean is the authority on municipal police matters, which is why he can overrule Javert in the Fantine case. However, once Javert suspects M. Madeleine is actually Valjean, he can elevate his concerns to the police generale level, since an ex-convict posing as a magistrate threatens the safety of the State! What I find interesting is that Javert sidesteps the proper route, which would be to go to the sub-prefect or even to the prefect of his arrondissement, and instead writes directly to Chabouillet. As head of the 1st bureau, 1st division in the Paris Police Prefecture, Chabouillet would hardly be involved in police matters of a small commune like Montreuil-sur-mer, which doesn’t even lie within his department.

Perhaps Javert was afraid that Valjean had already ingratiated himself with the prefect of the arrondissement? Working in the capitol, Chabouillet would be in a better position to maneuver politically if he wished to contest decisions of the local administrators and mayor. All prefects were ultimately responsible to the Minister of the Interior, who resided in Paris.

The Police in Paris Paris is unusual in that it has no elected mayor: it is “…a single commune, divided into twelve arrondissements, each with its own mayor… The real rulers of the city were the Prefect of the Seine, who had his office at the Hôtel de Ville, and the Prefect of Police, whose headquarters was on rue Jerusalem and the quai des Orfèvres on the Île de la Cité.” [10]. The Prefect of Police not only held municipal police powers, but was also charged with maintaining the security of the State (preventing plots, espionage, etc) and the safety of the Department (public health, morality, etc) [9]. His reach extends across Paris and its three surrounding departments, the Petite Couronne. With so many duties, it is natural for the Prefect to delegate.

He has a second in command, the Secretary General, and two councils: the Council of the Prefecture dealt with litigation, while the General Council for the Department handled financial problems (and only convened once a year). However, the true day-to-day management happens in the bureaus, where we find Chabouillè. He is the head of the 1st bureau, one of three under the 1st division, which is governed by a superintendent. The superintendent would likely report to either the Secretary General or the Prefect of Police himself; I am uncertain what the hierarchy looked like in Hugo’s time, as my closest reference is a paper from 1954 [9]. Nevertheless, given how compartmentalized the Prefecture was, Chabouillè would be the expert on his segment of police work.

Where did Javert figure in the ranks compared to his patron? Well, some bureaus had sub-sections, each governed by an inspector general, but I don’t think this was the case for the 1st bureau, 1st division (at least it isn’t mentioned in Sanford’s letter). Beneath the inspector generals were the commissioners. Paris at the time was divided into 12 arrondissements, each further sub-divided into quartiers for a total of 48. A quartier was overseen by a commissaire de police, who “…superintends its cleanliness and lighting; takes cognizance of misdemeanors; makes the first examination of crimes and offenses… The commissaries are in constant communication with the people, and attend to the complaints they may have to make. Their residence is known at night by a square lantern of coloured glass hung at the door.” [6] In the mid-18th century, commissioners were generally well-educated men with legal training, who joined as a secretary/assistant and worked their way up. It was virtually impossible for a junior officer to be promoted to the position [11]. Thus, at best, Javert was one rank below the commissioner, serving as a chief inspector in a quartier. This is probably as high as someone of his background could climb in the career ladder… which makes it all the more interesting that he enjoys the patronage of a man like Chabouillet.

Miscellaneous Prefect’s Uniform: “…this took the form of a blue coat embroidered with silver at the collar, at the cuffs and at the pockets, under which there was a white vest. The trousers were also white. A red scarf with silver fringes and a hat also embroidered in silver completed the outfit.” [2]

Prefect’s Salary: The salary of the Prefect of Police in Paris was 50,000 francs. For comparison, a principal inspector was paid 7,166 francs, and a rank-and-file inspector earned 1,500 francs [6, pgs. 154-155] [7].

Prefect’s Secretary: In addition to the Secretary General, which was a powerful political position in its own right, the Prefect of Police often employed a secretaire intime du Préfet, which literally translates to “intimate secretary of the Prefect.” Of all the almanacs I studied from 1807 to 1833, the only Prefect who had multiple individuals in this capacity was M. Gisquet: M. Nay was the secretaire intime, chef, and M. Nabon de Veaux was the sous-chef [1]. Take that as you will in your head-canons.

Office of the Sûreté: “At the time of Vidocq’s ingress to government service, 1809, the police force, or Prefecture, in Paris was comprised of two divisions: the First Division, or the Administrative Branch, and the Second Division, or Special Investigative Branch. The latter, managed by Monsieur Henry, was the unit to which Vidocq belonged; it concerned itself with the overall battling of crime.” [9]

Drownings and Accidental Deaths: “La Morgue, Marche Neuf - This is a place in which are deposited for three days the bodies of unknown persons who are drowned, or meet with accidental death. They are laid upon inclined slabs, open to the inspection of the public, in order that they may be recognized by those interested in their fate. Their clothes are hung up near them, as an additional means of recognition. If not claimed, they are buried at the public expense.” [6] This is where Javert’s body would have been taken. Since the 1st bureau, 1st division handles suicides and accidental deaths, it is likely Chabouillet learned of his protegé from a report on his desk…

After extensive Google-fu, I’ve compiled as much information as I can find on the French police prefecture during Les Miserablès and specifically, Javert’s mysterious patron, M. Chabouillet. If anyone cares to add to this post, please do; I can’t read a word of French, and aside from the almanacs, I haven’t dug into any original documents from that time period. Most of my conclusions regarding the police hierarchy are from papers written in the mid-to-late 1800s, which saw great changes in the Paris bureaucracy.

Tracking down Javert’s Patron In the brick, Victor Hugo introduces a M. Chabouillet, Javert’s patron, who facilitates his career within the police force. When we first meet Javert in Montreuil-sur-mer, he writes (Vol. 1, Book 5, Ch. 5):

Javert owed the post which he occupied to the protection of M. Chabouillet, the secretary of the Minister of State, Comte Anglès, then prefect of police at Paris.

Later, after Valjean escapes to Paris, M. Chabouillet arranges for Javert to move to the capitol as well (Vol. 2, Book 5, Ch. 10):

Javert’s zeal and intelligence on that occasion had been remarked by M. Chabouillet, secretary of the Prefecture under Comte Anglès. M. Chabouillet, who had, moreover, already been Javert’s patron, had the inspector of M. sur M. attached to the police force of Paris.

With these two pieces of information, I started digging in the Paris almanac archives for any references to a Chabouillet [1]. As it turns out, there exist two men with the surname of Chabouillè, who served within the Prefecture of Police during this time.

The first is an Architectes inspecteurs divisionnaires in 1820 [1], which roughly translates to divisional inspector architect. I couldn’t find a description of this position around that decade, or any other position for that matter. The best document on the Prefecture’s administration is a letter from H.S. Sanford in 1854 [5], so I’ll refer to it for the rest of this post even though the bureaus and their responsibilities got shuffled around like musical chairs. On pg. 344, Sanford speaks of a “…commissary of the petite voirie, who has under him four architects of the first class, and six architects of the second class.” They are part of the active service in the 2nd bureau, 2nd division, with duties involving the inspection of buildings, quarries, and mines. I don’t see this man’s jurisdiction overlapping with Javert’s position handling criminal cases. Javert would not have written him regarding M. Madeleine, and I doubt he would have the power to send Javert to Montreuil-sur-mer or Paris.

However, the second Chabouillè is the head of the 1st bureau, 1st division in the Prefecture of Police. He holds this post over the years 1810 to 1831, which overlap with Comte Anglès’s term as well as Javert’s career as a policeman. (Some almanacs are missing, so he might have been there longer. He’s not listed in the position in 1808 or 1833). This bureau’s responsibilities also cover public order and security matters directly related to Javert’s investigations: “Pursuit of criminals and delinquents signalized or unknown, and against whom no writs have yet been issued… suicides and accidental deaths… carrying of forbidden arms… supervision of liberated prisoners, convicts, rèclusionnaires, and others…” [6, pg. 338]. As head of this bureau, Chabouillè ranks high up there in terms of power (see the section How Powerful was Chabouillè?), so it makes sense he would be Javert’s patron and have the authority to summon Javert to Paris.

Why then does Hugo call Chabouillet the secretary to Anglès? I believe he actually means that Chabouillet performed secretarial duties, not that his position was literally that of a secretary. There is no Chabouillè listed as secretary general or any form of secretary during Anglès’s term in the almanacs. However, Napoleon organized the bureaus as an administrative structure to aid the Prefect in carrying out his immense duties [2]. In 1809, when Vidocq entered the government, the 1st division was considered the Administrative Branch [12] since it had no active service component, and Chabouillè would have been tasked with much of the paperwork involved in policing Paris. (Later on, I think the 1st bureau, 1st division had a more direct hand in investigations). So it makes sense for Hugo to refer to him as secretary to the Prefect if we consider all bureau chiefs performed such duties.

Where did Chabouillè Live? As a nice bonus, I discovered that the almanacs contain the residential addresses of many important people! For example, M. Gisquet, the Prefect in 1831, is listed as residing on Rue de Jerusalem, which is where all prefects lived during their term. I looked up Chabouillè, and his address in 1825 is the cul-de-sac S.-Claude-Montmartre, 2. In 1827, this changes to S.-Martin, 226, which lies in the aristocratic Marais district, where he remains through his departure as bureau chief in 1833. Interestingly, he is joined at this address by two Madame Chabouillè’s: one a libraire and one a papetier with a F. Guyot. Family members, perhaps?

You can search these addresses on the Les Miserables map to get a sense of where he lived relative to other characters in the brick.

How Powerful was Chabouillè? The Police in Montreuil-sur-mer To understand how much power Chabouillè wielded, we must first take a detour into the labyrinthine structure of the Prefecture of Police. France is divided into administrative regions called departments, which are sub-divided into arrondissements, cantons, and finally, communes. Each department has its own prefecture (except Paris, see below) governed by a prefect, who is a representative of the national government, and for those arrondissements that don’t contain the prefecture, a sub-prefect carries out the same administrative duties, reporting directly to the prefect. Police responsibilities are divided between the mayor and the prefect. The prefect is responsible for the general safety of the State and his department (police generale), while the mayor is in charge of public safety in his commune (police municipale) and the countryside (police rurale).

Montreuil-sur-mer is a single commune falling inside the jurisdiction of a sub-prefecture. As mayor, Valjean is the authority on municipal police matters, which is why he can overrule Javert in the Fantine case. However, once Javert suspects M. Madeleine is actually Valjean, he can elevate his concerns to the police generale level, since an ex-convict posing as a magistrate threatens the safety of the State! What I find interesting is that Javert sidesteps the proper route, which would be to go to the sub-prefect or even to the prefect of his arrondissement, and instead writes directly to Chabouillet. As head of the 1st bureau, 1st division in the Paris Police Prefecture, Chabouillet would hardly be involved in police matters of a small commune like Montreuil-sur-mer, which doesn’t even lie within his department.

Perhaps Javert was afraid that Valjean had already ingratiated himself with the prefect of the arrondissement? Working in the capitol, Chabouillet would be in a better position to maneuver politically if he wished to contest decisions of the local administrators and mayor. All prefects were ultimately responsible to the Minister of the Interior, who resided in Paris.

The Police in Paris Paris is unusual in that it has no elected mayor: it is “…a single commune, divided into twelve arrondissements, each with its own mayor… The real rulers of the city were the Prefect of the Seine, who had his office at the Hôtel de Ville, and the Prefect of Police, whose headquarters was on rue Jerusalem and the quai des Orfèvres on the Île de la Cité.” [10]. The Prefect of Police not only held municipal police powers, but was also charged with maintaining the security of the State (preventing plots, espionage, etc) and the safety of the Department (public health, morality, etc) [9]. His reach extends across Paris and its three surrounding departments, the Petite Couronne. With so many duties, it is natural for the Prefect to delegate.

He has a second in command, the Secretary General, and two councils: the Council of the Prefecture dealt with litigation, while the General Council for the Department handled financial problems (and only convened once a year). However, the true day-to-day management happens in the bureaus, where we find Chabouillè. He is the head of the 1st bureau, one of three under the 1st division, which is governed by a superintendent. The superintendent would likely report to either the Secretary General or the Prefect of Police himself; I am uncertain what the hierarchy looked like in Hugo’s time, as my closest reference is a paper from 1954 [9]. Nevertheless, given how compartmentalized the Prefecture was, Chabouillè would be the expert on his segment of police work.

Where did Javert figure in the ranks compared to his patron? Well, some bureaus had sub-sections, each governed by an inspector general, but I don’t think this was the case for the 1st bureau, 1st division (at least it isn’t mentioned in Sanford’s letter). Beneath the inspector generals were the commissioners. Paris at the time was divided into 12 arrondissements, each further sub-divided into quartiers for a total of 48. A quartier was overseen by a commissaire de police, who “…superintends its cleanliness and lighting; takes cognizance of misdemeanors; makes the first examination of crimes and offenses… The commissaries are in constant communication with the people, and attend to the complaints they may have to make. Their residence is known at night by a square lantern of coloured glass hung at the door.” [6] In the mid-18th century, commissioners were generally well-educated men with legal training, who joined as a secretary/assistant and worked their way up. It was virtually impossible for a junior officer to be promoted to the position [11]. Thus, at best, Javert was one rank below the commissioner, serving as a chief inspector in a quartier. This is probably as high as someone of his background could climb in the career ladder… which makes it all the more interesting that he enjoys the patronage of a man like Chabouillet.

Miscellaneous Prefect’s Uniform: “…this took the form of a blue coat embroidered with silver at the collar, at the cuffs and at the pockets, under which there was a white vest. The trousers were also white. A red scarf with silver fringes and a hat also embroidered in silver completed the outfit.” [2]

Prefect’s Salary: The salary of the Prefect of Police in Paris was 50,000 francs. For comparison, a principal inspector was paid 7,166 francs, and a rank-and-file inspector earned 1,500 francs [6, pgs. 154-155] [7].

Prefect’s Secretary: In addition to the Secretary General, which was a powerful political position in its own right, the Prefect of Police often employed a secretaire intime du Préfet, which literally translates to “intimate secretary of the Prefect.” Of all the almanacs I studied from 1807 to 1833, the only Prefect who had multiple individuals in this capacity was M. Gisquet: M. Nay was the secretaire intime, chef, and M. Nabon de Veaux was the sous-chef [1]. Take that as you will in your head-canons.

Office of the Sûreté: “At the time of Vidocq’s ingress to government service, 1809, the police force, or Prefecture, in Paris was comprised of two divisions: the First Division, or the Administrative Branch, and the Second Division, or Special Investigative Branch. The latter, managed by Monsieur Henry, was the unit to which Vidocq belonged; it concerned itself with the overall battling of crime.” [9]

Drownings and Accidental Deaths: “La Morgue, Marche Neuf - This is a place in which are deposited for three days the bodies of unknown persons who are drowned, or meet with accidental death. They are laid upon inclined slabs, open to the inspection of the public, in order that they may be recognized by those interested in their fate. Their clothes are hung up near them, as an additional means of recognition. If not claimed, they are buried at the public expense.” [6] This is where Javert’s body would have been taken. Since the 1st bureau, 1st division handles suicides and accidental deaths, it is likely Chabouillet learned of his protegé from a report on his desk…

Since I have almost seventy (counting the ones I punted) Toulon asks, I decided to make a list of them so that people can more easily find information they need. I imagine scrolling through all seven pages of the tag isn’t fun. In theory I’ll update this every time I answer an ask, but I probably won’t be very good about it, so while this is complete at the time of writing, it may not be in the future.

You should also definitely look at Trompe-la-Mort’s Toulon asks tag. I’ve included the asks which were originally directed at me, but I’m too lazy to catalog the ones asked of Trompe-la-Mort directly. Absolutely, absolutely have a look, though—more quantitative questions are answered there, and also ones that Trompe-la-Mort has had direct experience with, such as the legendary prison diet experiment. I also need to mention the exhaustive list of punishments in Toulon and the pre-bagne galleys.

Parole How long parole lasted Whom parolees reported to Books relevant to Javert’s mom

Things on and owned by convicts; the convict body The casaque rouge Footwear Shackles Handcuffs Why Valjean (among others) dragged his leg, and what it means Why leg-dragging was permanent Whether Valjean’s wrists are scarred like in the movie Head shaving and subsequent scars Possessions

Social behavior and interpersonal things and stuff Friendships and romantic relationships The different meanings of “marriage”; living arrangements for non-accouplé “married” couples Violence between convicts Snitching The (un)likelihood of romance between guards and convicts, Toulon-era slashfic notwithstanding

Data and statistics Number of convicts The minimum and maximum age for convicts (with follow-up by Trompe-la-Mort) Chances of survival (with follow-up by Spiderfire) Frequency and success rate of escapes

Escape prevention and security Was Valjean chained to someone else or not? Control of unpaired people Why convicts spent at least their first three years accouplé with another convict Why younger convicts and older convicts (nouveaux and anciens) were paired together The permanent nature of accouplement

Punishments (in the bagne and out); rules, laws, codes, bureaucracy The abolition and reinstatement of the brand; its purpose How likely brands were likely to be seen and/or recognized Was Valjean branded in 1823? Definition of exposition Rules for spectators at an exposition Definition of “civil death” Punishment for escape (general) The penalty for escape for a lifer What happened to the chainmates of escapees The double chain Solitary confinement The punishment for killing a fellow convict (mostly thoughts on the Balzac character Madeleine) Methods of execution in the bagne; nicknames for guillotine (cross-listed with “Linguistic”) Provisions for the death penalty; details on guillotine and firing squad executions The allowability of eye contact with guards (question presumably inspired by musical lyrics)

Revolts Frequency of revolts; their consequences Information about particular revolts

Space and location The buildings of the bagne (answered by Trompe-la-Mort) Living quarters/“cells” Images of the town hall “caryatides” Valjean held up Images of the Porte de l'Arsenal

Hard labor Daily logistics Definition of “grande fatigue”

Civilians and convicts Visiting the bagne; why Valjean might have been a tourist attraction in 1823 Bounty hunters Literacy education The Ignorantin school: based in reality or totally made up? Conscription

Guards and the administration (The lack of) memoirs by guards Number of guards (answered by Trompe-la-Mort) Why guards had a bad reputation Guards’ uniforms Guards who became convicts Who guarded the guards? Minimum age and job requirements for guards How much guards earned Did guards speak Standard French?