Les Miserables: Unjust Law

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In the movie Les Miserables, the characters Jean Valjean and Javert illustrate the relationship between just and unjust laws by demonstrating the results of an unjust law. For example, when Jean Valjean steals a single loaf of bread to feed his starving nephew, he is punished with nineteen years as a prisoner. Even after nineteen years, Jean Valjean is released on parole and is unable to work. This is an example of an unjust law because Valjean committed a very small crime, yet he is punished extremely harshly and treated without mercy. The quote, “justice without mercy is cruelty,” is demonstrated throughout Jean Valjean’s life because he is severely and cruelly punished for a crime that saved his nephew’s life. If the judge had seen that

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