1.When meet Jean Valjean, he is an ex-convict about to starve to death because no one will give him food, shelter, or a job. No one except saintly Bishop Myriel, that is, who's more than happy to invite Valjean into his home and treat him like a king.
2.He didn't make good decisions so people didn't think he was a good guy so society thought the worst of him. A prevalent theme in Victor Hugo's Les Miserable is each character's search for freedom.
3.The first most important moment in which religion influenced Jean Valjean's life relates to the Bishop of Digne's mercy and generosity. When Jean Valjean was finally released from prison after 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread for his seven starving nephews and nieces, he found that every place he went to in order to find food and lodging turned him out when they learned that he was an ex-convict.
4.Though Bishop Myriel does not appear in any other part of this book, he is a model for moral behavior. A major theme of Les Misérables is the moral journey of the soul from selfishness and darkness to compassion and light. Bishop Myriel's life story offers an example of this journey, which is detailed in the first sixty pages of the book: he was born wealthy and powerful, but lost everything he had after the French Revolution, and became devoted to helping the poor.
