The Petit-Picpus Religious House is linked to Jean Valjean’s assumed identity and to the memory of an earlier escape. In the account of his time there, he presents himself as the recently deceased brother of Old Fauchelevent, while a nearby street points back to his flight from Gorbeau Shack.

Setting and Association

Rue Polonceau borders the religious house. The street’s location matters as a narrative reference: it recalls the evening Jean Valjean had to flee Gorbeau Shack, connecting the house to an earlier episode of concealment and flight.

Concealed Identity

At the house, Jean Valjean passes himself off as the brother of Old Fauchelevent, who has just died. This assumed identity places concealment at the center of the location’s significance: the house is associated not only with refuge, but also with the false kinship through which Valjean presents himself there.