Leader of the Romantic movement, founder of the Upper Room, Master of the oxymoron, Hugo explores all genres: poetry, fiction, theater ... This is Hugo and writer committed that we find here.
At the beginning of the story, Hugo relates the facts without taking sides, he reports on a situation objectively: Claude Gueux was guilty of theft, he was imprisoned, he suffered the nastiness of the prison director, he is determined to do a criminal act thoughtful and deliberate because it just so. He is called to appear before a criminal court (Hugo compares to a racetrack) and true orator, he explains his choice and resumes his companions when one of them called to testify, attempts to minimize the facts.
After stating the facts as they occurred, Hugo takes the witness to drive and tries to reflect on the criminal act that the prisoner has just committed: "Who is really guilty Is it, is it? we "?
The author engages in a plea against the death penalty, called for the abolition of the executioners, the creation of more schools for children, workshops for men. For him, it is obvious, they are suffering and misery but also the intolerance and hatred that lead a man to become a criminal.
