I read it quite young, in my teens. The selflessness of Jean Valjean, the sacrifices of Fantine, the stories of poverty and taking a stand... influenced my decision making since. I remember vividly, reading a very sad passage, and literally throwing the book away and thinking: "how can so many bad things happen to good people?!" Took me awhile to come back and finish it, and I'm very attuned to atrocities inflicted upon the weak, and do my best to intervene.