Once upon a time there was a man who had a young daughter, Elle. When her mother died, he married a second time. The second wife had two daughters. Even though it was Elle who should have had a dowry and the chance to marry first, the second wife was ambitious only for her own daughters. She made sure they went into the right society and had gowns of velvet and Honiton lace to wear. The stepmother did not want Elle, who was pretty and sweet, to make her own children appear hateful and ugly, so Elle was made to do the housework, wear rags, sleep in the garret, and sit amongst the cinders. Her sisters, who did not understand, or did not care, laughed at her and called her "cinder-slut" or "cinder-ella." She was not invited to the balls or parties. Eventually, the stepmother had expended all the family fortunes in getting her own daughters married. When that was done, Elle was given as a fantine to a wealthy, aristocratic friend, a Viscount, who had helped arrange the marriages of the ugly sisters.