A particular piece of Javert's characterisation that i'm interested in: disliking reading but doing it anyway. That's possibly one of the best ways for people to get an understanding of Javert as a character. It tells you everything: his accepting 'society's' authority on how to act 'correctly', his dislike for introspection and thought, his strictness in judging himself to the same standards as everyone else and therefore forcing himself to do something he dislikes to fit in.
But the practical side of such an opinion is less talked about. Why do many people dislike to read? Well, because they find it hard. Why do they find it hard? Some possible reasons: they learned later in life, or had less chance to practice it. Sometimes disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia. Or: some problem with eyesight making reading physically challenging.
How do problems with eyesight occur? Damage to eyes, or lack of substantial training of them when you're young - as in, can't practice focusing your eyes to see long distances because you're surrounded by walls leading to short-sightedness, or dim light from inadequate torches not letting your eyes focus on things entirely leading to inability to see details clearly even after light becomes easier to acquire, or the rods in your eyes being maladjusted to light, leading to brightness-induced headaches and preference for skulking in shadows later in life.
What I'm saying is Javert grew up in a prison for at least the first 5-8 years of his life, as in one of the most important times for eyesight to develop. He needs glasses, man. He needs glasses so fucking badly. It's probably one of the reasons he looks so frightening, is because he's squinting constantly to try to make out wtf is going on.
Makes his ability to recognise people more impressive, but also more understandable. He can't rely just on seeing faces, so paying attention to the shape of their bodies becomes just as important (hence why he recognised valjean by his figure and strength rather than his face). Voices also.
Probably why he thought marius was dead post-barricade: literally could not make out the signs of life.
