The Conscience and conviction are heavy emotions, and Javert, a character in Les Mis by Victor Hugo, battles with an internal moral conflict in catching an escaped criminal. Javert battles throughout the novel with the question “Who am I?”. At one point he states “I am the law and the law is not mocked” (Hugo). He finds his identity in the morals and laws of this world, and convicting those who do not obey. However, in an act of kindness, Valjean spares Javert's life and throws him into a state of confusion and bewilderment. Javert cannot understand why the criminal wouldn’t kill him and achieve justice for himself. This is to say, “To owe life to a malefactor, to accept that debt [...] Where was he? He sought himself and found himself no