The character in Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" grapples with the emotional toll of his life experiences. After two decades of hardship, he has developed a resolute hardness, yet this tough exterior begins to wear on him. He recognizes that this resilience, born from the injustice he has faced, is no longer serving him as it once did.

As he reflects on his state of being, a sense of fatigue overwhelms him. The initial calm he found in his suffering starts to dissolve, revealing a vulnerability that he had tried to suppress. This internal conflict highlights the struggle between maintaining strength and acknowledging one's pain.