As our chapter begins we find Valjean in quite a predicament. He is sure that it is Javert who is pursuing him, but it isn’t clear how much Javert knows about his whereabouts.
Taking advantage of this, Valjean and Cosette wind their way through some dark roads and alleys, making their way down to the river and across it in the hopes of losing Javert and his crew entirely. On the bridge when Valjean pays the toll he is told he must pay for Cosette as well, leading to deepening concern that he has been noticed and could be noted if the toll keeper was questioned.
Heading across the bridge Valjean makes the decision to run across some open ground so that he may find his way to a dark alley that leads to some good hiding spots. Upon arriving at the alley he looks back and sees Javert and the other three men at the bridge. The question is, did they see him cross the field or did he make it in time? The chapter closes before we have any kind of answer.
With that, in a couple of short chapters we have gone from Cosette and Valjean learning to love to a frantic situation where they are fleeing with only thought for their immediate survival. All plans for the future are in jeopardy. There is no promised tomorrow, let alone next week, or month or year. There is only now, and only surviving, and that survival hinges on staying hidden from Javert.
As a reader I can’t help but take note of the unsustainable nature of this situation. It cannot hold. There must be something else if Valjean and Cosette are to have any kind of real future.