'93

Ayn Rand, who loved the book, thought the theme of Hugo's Quatrevingt-treize was "man's loyalty to values."

The emphasis he projects is not: "What great values men are fighting for!" but: "What greatness men are capable of, when they fight for their values!"

This theme is unquestionably present in the book.

There's another central theme, noted by Robert Louis Stevenson:

It is a novel built upon "a sort of enigma,".... That enigma was this: "Can a good action be a bad action? Does not he who spares the wolf kill the sheep?" This question, as I say, meets with one answer after another during the course of the book, and yet seems to remain undecided to the end.

Hugo structures the book around hard choices, constantly presenting dilemmas of conflicting values to the major players. They persist in their causes, at great cost to themselves, driving themselves onward in uncompromising fashion. But - toward the end - the 3 major players are finally confronted with soul-breaking decisions. Two of them actually change course somewhat, with spectacular consequences. These final changes in course are clearly meant not so much as disloyalty to their values, but to the sudden grasp of a higher value they had been missing.

This higher value comes upon them more by merciful feeling than by cold hard reasoning. They respond, as ever, with courage.

Hugo doesn't seem to think it's treason
When they let their hearts trump reason.