English version of the preface to Les Misérables

As long as the legal and social oppression caused by the customs of the day there, in the heyday of civilization artificially make the earth a hell innate human suffering inevitable evil luck; three issues of poverty as long as this century --- so that man down and hunger fallen women, children of darkness weak --- also unresolved; Just poisoned society may also occur in some areas, in other words, but also from a broader sense, as long as this world there are ignorance and hardship, then this book will not be of the same nature works is useless.