In Les Misérables, who is Prison Code 24601?

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is referred to as "prisoner 24601" because it is his prison identification number. Jean Valjean is the main character and protagonist of the novel, who served a lengthy prison sentence of nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving child. The number 24601 signifies his identity within the prison system, but it also serves as a symbol of his past and his struggle to find redemption and forgiveness throughout the story.