The Thénardiers are in many adaptations of Les Miserables.
The Thénardiers , commonly known as Monsieur Thénardier ( [ təˈnɑrdi.eɪ ] [ tenaʁdje ] ) and Madame Thénardier , are fictional characters , the secondary antagonists in Victor Hugo 's 1862 novel Les Misérables and in many adaptations of the novel into other media . They serve , alongside Javert , as one of the two arch-nemeses of the story 's protagonist , Jean Valjean . The novel portrays them as brutal and abusive figures ; some adaptations transform them into clownish characters , though sometimes still criminals , to provide comic relief from the generally more serious tone of the story .