How we cite our quotes: (Part.Book.Chapter.Line)
Quote #10
"A family! But I belong to no family, least of all yours. I am sundered from all mankind. There are moments when I wonder whether I ever had a father and mother. Everything ended for me with that child's marriage." (5.7.1.44)
Without Cosette, Jean Valjean's family is gone. She was the only person in his entire life, and now he has to keep his distance to prevent his shady background from infecting her new life. From the way Valjean says this, we can tell that being "sundered from all mankind" is essentially the worst thing that can happen to a guy. (Remember, the whole book is about how we all need to love each other. You might even say that Hugo wants us all to become one big human family.)