Les Miserables: Jean Valjean Jean Valjean was an alluring hero of Les Miserables for many reasons, one of which was his drastic conversion from a miserable criminal into a heroic, peaceful man. Jean Valjean seems like a three dimensional character at first. But deep inside his emotions he shows a defined viewpoint on life making him a flat character. One of the most compassionate things he did was guarding Cossette and treating her as if she were his own daughter. He is the main character, therefore there would essentially be no plot without him. His several journeys span across a length of twenty years. He is an extremely strong man. Sometimes his