Victor Hugo’s admonition at the beginning of the book still applies specifically in the developing world. Gomez-Chua presents an exploration and personal perspective regarding the younger characters of Les Miserables and their story arcs (specifically Cosette, Marius, the Thenardier children, and the Amis de l’ABC) and how these themes resonate in the Global south, with specific comparison to the Philippines. Themes to be explored include feminism, popular activism, and youth at risk. Gomez-Chua will also explore why much fan-work/adaptation such as modern-day fic is not set in the developing world despite these thematic similarities to the novel.

Katrina Gomez-Chua