Cosette

Cosette (born 1815) is the titular protagonist of the series.

Personality
As a child, despite the abuse she suffered from the Thénardiers, she is sweet, innocent and cheerful, enjoying simple pleasures such as sleeping in a real bed and reading (once under the care of Valjean). When ever she felt low, she reminds herself that her mother will return soon and they will be able to live together forever. As an adult, she is kind, gentle and caring to everyone around her, and acts motherly towards Valjean, Gavroche, Pressoir, and Jurges. She also has moments where she profoundly speaks her mind, particularly when she demands information from Valjean regarding the reason(s) behind their overly-sheltered lifestyle and constant moving between houses.

Separation from Fantine and Working for the Thénariders
She starts off around age three, running through a field of flowers as she and her mother Fantine try to find a new home and job. Their search is troubling, considering no one wishes to hire anyone with a child. However, Cosette and her mother meets the Thénardiers who offer to take in Cosette in exchange for money. Though Fantine does not wish to leave her daughter behind, she agrees to leave Cosette with them and set off to the city. However, as soon as she leaves, Cosette is immediately dressed in rags and put to work.

Madame Thénardier forces hard labor on her and doesn't allow her daughters Éponine and Azelma to interact with her which causes them to become cruel, believing they are better than her.

Cosette does manage to befriend an infant Gavroche and sings her mother's lullaby to put him to sleep.

Six years later, she is still deeply abused by the Thénardiers and their daughters, but remains optimistic that her mother will soon return to her. She passess the time with chores, and spending time with Gavroche who acts as a little brother to her and does not mistreat her in the least. The two soon find Chou Chou who follows them home one day. They try to hid him but are immediately caught after he destroys Eponine's dress and sheets. Madame Thénardier beats Cosette for keeping her from killing Chou Chou, but either didn't know that Cosette and Gavroche kept the dog or simply ignored it.

Fantine constantly spends money to cover Cosette's "expensives", but the money is squandered by the Thénardiers. Monsieur Thénardier even writes letters claiming that Cosette is sick and needs money for medicine in order to gain money from her. Despite this, Fantine manages to buy Cosette a warm skirt for the winter (which is given to Azelma) and cross-stitched bag of potpourri (which Eponine throws away but is later recovered by Gavroche).

Soon, the money stops coming, and the Thénardiers blame Cosette's mother for it, to which she quickly defends. Due to these financial problems, the Thénardiers unregretably send Gavroche to work at the Blacksmith's shop, who is followed by Chou Chou by Cosette's order, leaving her alone. On Christmas Eve night, Eponine and Azelma empty the water bucket as a prank so that Cosette will have to venture into the woods alone. As she struggles with the heavy bucket, a stranger comes up behind her and snatches the bucket from her, claiming it is too heavy for a child like her. The stranger, Jean Valjean, takes Cosette back to the village and asks her various questions about her, soon discovering that she is the child he has been looking for. He spends the night at the inn and persuades the Thénardiers into giving her food and rest for money. He also gives her her first doll, Catherine. The next morning, Thénardier comes up with a sceme to milk Valjean for as much money with he can, using Cosette as a sob story. However, Valjean backfires and ask that instead of paying for her medical expenses, if he could just take her instead. Thénardier agrees but only after Valjean pays him 1,500 francs. Cosette is reluctant to go, worried that her mother will come for her and she won't be there. Thénardier almost uses this as a way to get more money out of Valjean but is in vain when Valjean pulls out a note from Fantine stating that he had permission to take her away. After bestowing her mourning clothes, the two set off for Paris.

Arrival in Paris and Blossoming Adulthood
After a mishap during a detour in which Catherine is almost lost, the two arrive in a shabby apartment at the Gorbeau House, just inside the city, and he and Cosette live there happily for a few months. However, Javert discovers their wereabouts and they are forced to flee. They manage to find refuge in the Petit-Pipus convent where they are discovered by Fauchelevent, the man Valjean saved before, who is the gardener. He divisious a plan to have Valjean re-enter the convert as his brother by putting his body in a empty casket to be buried in the false tomb for one of the deceased sisters. During this time, Cosette waits at a fruit stand where she waits anxiously for her father to return. She begins to believe that he abandoned her like her mother did until he arrives. They (secretly) re-enter the convert and Cosette becomes the newest student there. She is instantly flooded with admiration and attention from her peers and becomes instant friends with all of them, especially Charlotte, Beatrice, and Audrey.

Five years pass and Cosette is now a beautiful young lady with a taste for freedom and adventure. Despite how Mother Innocente had hopes that Cosette would join the nunnery, she allows her and Valjean to leave, stating that she wanted Cosette's happiness above anything else. After a tearful departure, Cosette and Valjean set off to live in upper-middle class Paris, where they perormm charitable deeds, such as volunteering at one of the churches, and helping the poorer citizens. During a walk in the park, Cosette spots a young man named Marius who also notices her. This sets off a spark of romance that Valjean mistakes as an attempt to get him arrested which causes the family to move twice to avoid detection. During one of the moves, she reconnects with Eponine who reveals that the reason that she was so bitter to Cosette as a child was because her mother was always there but didn't ultimately care about her while Cosette's mother loved her a great deal.

With the reluctant help of Eponine, Marius and Cosette are able to meet in secret up until the Revolution. During this event, Cosette is seen constantly praying for Marius's and Valjean's safe return.

Post-Revolution, the Death of Valjean, and Epilogue
Months after the revolution, Marius and Cosette search for the former's benefactor who saved him at the barricade, but fail to locate him. Later that day, Marius proposes to Cosette to which she accepts. After the wedding in February, Valjean suddenly dissapears. He is soon detected but is on his death bed, and summons Cosette and Marius at once. He reveals to them his life story of being a criminal and the promise he made to Cosette's mother, apologizing that he hadn't done as well as he should have. Cosette tearfully tells him that he was the best father that he could be and that she loved him. She held his hand as he died with the spirits of Fantine and the Bishop to lead him home.

Approximately three years after the happenings of the series, Cosette and Marius have a daughter that is almost identical to her with exception of her darker blond hair, which is closer to her father's hair color. She asks her mother about the necklace she is wearing and Cosette states that it is a gift [by her grandmother, Fantine] that she will receive when she is older.

Differences from Novel

 * Cosette's character isn't expressed much in the novel, despite being clearly explained. Her childhood with the Thénardiers is basically blacked-out, thus little is known about how she was really treated, although there are many chapters devoted to it. Also, the novel does not really express the want Cosette feels for her mother, as she barely knew her


 * Cosette had little, if any relationship with Gavroche. In the novel, he is still an infant and is later kicked out as the Thénardiers go further into debt, coupled with the fact that his mother hates him
 * It is unknown in the novel if Cosette and Marius ever had children (as the novel ends with Valjean's death), while in the Anime, they are shown to have one daughter at the very end of the series
 * While none of the characters exact birthdates are given in the novel or Anime, based on the English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) shown in the episode "Cosette's Birthday", it can be assumed that, at least in the Anime, Cosette was born sometime in late spring
 * Cosette's birth name is Euphrasie, but she is referred throughout her life as "Cosette". No mention of her birth name is made in the Anime, while it is referred to once in the novel

Quotes
"It's all right, Mother will be coming back soon."