Javert

Javert (born 1780) is the tritagonist of the series.

Personality
Javert has been described as a legalist. He believes in the idea that once a person has become a criminal, they cannot change and be redeemed of their actions. He believes that anyone who goes against the government or the law are not of society, and must be eliminated.

Exclusively to the Anime, however, his views change once Jean Valjean sets him free during the battle at the barricade, and after the failed revolution, he continues to perform his job as an Inspector, this time with the intent on changing criminals into more honest people.

Background/Role in the Story
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Differences from the Novel

 * Most notably, Javert does not commit suicide after Jean Valjean sets him free at the barricade. Rather he has an epiphany that people can change themselves after wrongdoing, and that the law is not the absolute authority in life


 * Both in the novel and Anime, Javert was born in a prison. In the Anime, however, he states that both of his parents were criminals who eventually escaped prison, only to be re-arrested by their son. In the novel, Javert's mother was a fortune-teller, his father was a convict serving on a galley, and there was no mention of them escaping prison and being re-arrested by Javert

Quotes
"Once someone has become a criminal, they can never change."

"The law is the ultimate form of justice. If one commits a crime, one will not be forgiven no matter the reason."

"People who break the law are abnormalities of society. Regardless of the reason, they cannot be forgiven."

"Then, I'll arrest you over and over again. In order to make you repent, I'll do anything until you become a decent person!" [to Thénardier after arresting him following his failed blackmail to Marius]

"Jean Valjean... A man who had overcome a miserable life... Perhaps he has entirely been returned to nature... It's like how the night would arrive after the day passes." [Javert's last lines of the series while paying respects at Jean Valjean's grave]