After 1823, the Thénardiers had two more sons whom the mother hated and managed to get rid of in a very efficient way. A friend, Magnon — the woman who had persuaded M. Gillenormand to support them — lost her two illegitimate sons in an epidemic. In order to conserve her income, she needed replacements, and these Mme. Thénardier provided, to their mutual convenience. The children benefit temporarily from the exchange. Magnon treats them kindly because of the money they represent, but she is implicated in the Thénardier affair and arrested. The children are left to wander alone in the streets of Paris.
One cold spring day of 1832, Gavroche is standing in front of the window of a barbershop. He is waiting for a propitious moment to steal a cake of soap that he hopes to sell in the suburbs. While Gavroche is preparing his bit of larceny, two little boys enter the shop to ask for help and are harshly rebuffed. Touched by their tears, the urchin takes them royally in tow and leads them in the rain to a baker's, where he manages to extract a small coin from his pocket and buy them and himself a piece of bread. On the way, he has passed a girl in rags and given her the woman's shawl he wears for warmth over his shoulders.
