DESC: On one level Les Miserables is a detective story in which the relentless Inspector Javert obsessively pursues the escaped convict Jean Valjean. On another level, it is a drama of crime, punishment and rehabilitation set against a panoramic description of French society after Napoleon. But above all, Hugo’s masterpiece is about the metaphysical struggle between good and evil in the soul of every man. It is a plea for social justice, political enlightenment and personal charity.