In Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables," there are peculiar discoveries mentioned, including the skeleton of an orangutan that vanished from the Jardin des Plantes in the year 1800. This mysterious disappearance seems to be linked to a notorious event involving the devil that took place in Rue des Bernardins towards the end of the eighteenth century.

The narrative suggests a dark connection between these occurrences, culminating in a tragic conclusion where the figure referred to as the devil ultimately ends his life by drowning in the sewer. This reflects the intertwining of bizarre events and human despair in Hugo's exploration of society and fate.