When Marius is injured his grandfather helps him out and the two reconcile. Marius proposes to Cossette and the two get married. Jean Valjean does not know Javert is dead and knows that he will have to tell someone the truth in case Javert comes to get him. Seeing that Cossette will be taken care of Jean Valjean tells Marius the truth but asks only that he never tell Cossette. Marius lets Jean Valjean visit Cossette. Cossette has always referred to Jean Valjean as father but Jean Valjean now insists that she call him Jean. Each time Jean Valjean visits Cossette Marius has changed the room in which they visit to make it clear to Jean Valjean that he doesn't want him around. Finally Jean Valjean takes to watching Cossette from a distance and his distress begins to make him sick. When he is bedbound Cossette wonders what happened to him and why he hasn't visited but is too wrapped up in her new husband to make a big deal out of it.
Marius gets a visitor, the innkeeper has seen the marriage notice in the paper and recognizes Jean Valjean as the man from the sewer. He decides to pay Marius a visit in order to blackmail him. He tells Marius he knows that his father in law is a thief and murderer. When Marius says he already knows these things stating the money that went missing from the mayor of M sur M's account as the theft and Javert as the murder, the innkeeper unknowingly clears Jean Valjean is Marius' sight by showing him newspaper clippings that prove the Jean Valjean was the Mayor of M sur M and that Javert commited suicide. Then he shows him the piece of coat which he ripped off in the sewers in order to incriminate Jean Valjean. Marius recognizes the fabric and realizes that Jean Valjean was the one who carried him through the sewers to save his life. Marius and Cossette visit Jean Valjean immediately. Jean Valjean says "so you've forgiven me?" in a meek and humble voice and Marius says "I'm the one who needs to be forgiven, you saved my life and I treated you like this." Jean Valjean is happy since he got to see Cossette one last time and say goodbye. He sees the Bishop at his bed beckoning him to the next world just before he dies.
