One cold evening in October of 1815, a man with a long beard and dirty clothes walked into the French town of Digne. The man was in his forties and very strong. He carried a bag and a walking staff.

The man entered an inn and said to the innkeeper, "I've been traveling for a long time, and I'm very tired. I need a meal and a place to sleep. I have money to pay you."

Victor Marie Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. Hugo is considered to be one of the greatest and best-known French writers. Outside of France, his most famous works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris), 1831. In France, Hugo is known primarily for his poetry collections, such as Les Contemplations (The Contemplations) and La Légende des siècles (The Legend of the Ages).