After he was paroled in 1815, he returned to civilian life. Jean Valjean reveals to Bishop Myriel that he is 46 years old in the book. He was 26 when he stole the loaf of bread and 27 when he began ...

Myriel, named after the kind bishop in Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables,” has nothing to do with the provenance of the chef and everything to do with the meaning of the bishop’s actions.