A brief parenthesis here. This is the second time in his studies of the penal issue and the doom meted out by the law that the author of this book has come across the theft of a loaf of bread as the starting-point in ruining a life. Claude Gueux75 stole a loaf of bread. Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread. According to one English statistic, the primary cause of four out of five thefts in London is hunger.
