The bulk of this chapter is focused on the fact that at the time of the events unfolding in the novel, this convent also happened to be home to a boarding school that was run by the sisters themselves. This dour, secretive, isolated and strict convent set to the task of raising children. Here are a few of the things we learn:
- The children were taught by the nuns and lived in the same kind of isolation as the sisters themselves.
- Stemming from this isolation and the nature of their teachers, they were taught to abhor the present age and the world itself.
- This abhorrence for the world manifested in a fear of anything outside of the convent itself.
- The children would have “fun” on feast days by pretending to fulfill the duties of the sisters. At one point in the past the sisters even dressed them in their habits but this was seen as a violation and ended.
- The strict separation even extended to their visiting families. No physical contact with those on the outside at all.
This environment sounds like a pretty austere and limiting place for a young person to be growing and learning in. I feel like this is where Cosette may end up and I don’t love that at all. I guess we find out more next time!