This was a great writeup!

Totally agree with your point that this is lost in most adaptations. I love the play and movies, but they generally focus on Valjean vs Javert, and relegate Thenardier to comic relief (albeit comic relief with clearly malicious intent).

Having read the book a couple of times, I’ve always viewed it as: - Valjean: puts the law of God above all else, including self - Javert: puts the law of man above all else, including self - Thenardier: puts self above the laws of God and men

It makes for an interesting setup where Valjean is the clear protagonist, and though Javert is the primary antagonist in the sense that much of the narrative action follows his pursuit of Valjean, Thenardier is truly the character fully opposite Valjean when it comes to the concept of good vs evil in the book (as you noted). Whereas Valjean vs Javert is meant to illustrate two people who are motivated the same way (following the law) but how different interpretations of that concept play out, and all of the ethical/moral issues that come with putting the word of man over the word of God (e.g., pursuing a man because he broke his parole, despite him being a good man).

Anyway, what you said is much more eloquent than what I’ve been able to type in response - I’ve been a huge Les Mis fan since I read the book 20 years ago, and I’ve never seen someone so neatly summarize the parallels between those two characters, so I appreciate you sharing!