"Les Misérables, v. 5/5: Jean Valjean" by Victor Hugo is the final volume of an epic historical novel first published in 1862. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion, the novel follows ex-convict Jean Valjean's struggle for redemption. This masterwork explores justice, grace, love, and moral philosophy through interconnected lives of the downtrodden. Hugo examines poverty's degradation, society's condemnation, and humanity's journey from darkness to light—a progress from injustice to justice, corruption to life.