Post written by Nina Budde
Embarking from where I was in class, and setting a preview for my term paper, I once again return to Les Misérables; my new favorite movie given I’ve now watched in twice within 24 hours. I’d never seen the play before, so it is completely new to me. Throughout the entire film, one can see the principle of reciprocity which begins with the generosity of the Monsignor.
Reciprocity is not just an act of kindness; it can also be one of revenge. If an injustice is done to us, we feel the need to reciprocate that injustice done to us. My specific example is the change of that kind of reciprocity—it creates a debt that can never fully be repaid by.
Jean Valjean steals silver from the church, and when he is caught by the authorities he finds himself not only being pardoned, but also with a bag full of valuable silvers.
This gift that Jean Valjean accepts from the Monsignor comes with a price: “you must use this precious silver to become an honest man”. Therefore, in order to pay back his debt to God and the Monsingor for his new beginning, the entire film/play depicts Jean Valjean trying to better the lives of others and do what would be considered just. The entire time he asks himself “who am I?” to remind himself that he is not the slave or thief he was once, resulting in him constantly trying to do the morally correct action in the eyes of God.
One example from the film regarding this is when he confesses to the court, under his new alias as Monsieur le maire (Mr. Mayor), that he is the slave Jean Valjean who broke parole and not the withered man about to be convicted. This is exceptionally powerful because it would return him to life as a slave, but given his stature the court overlooks his outburst. Despite this, Jean Valjean went to court not knowing he would walk out and likely assumed he would return to life as a slave.
His debt to God and the Monsignor is a powerful motivator for his actions—he will always feel indebted to them because the Monsignor’s actions saved his life and gave him a new one. He will always feel compelled to do what is right for others, because that is what the Monsignor asked of him when he was given the silver.
Life debt is a very interesting concept which is seen more commonly in the media (books, plays, and movies) than in reality which is likely why Cialdini did not touch upon it. This example, though, relates best to Cialdini’s idea of an uninvited debt. Often people who save your life will not have done it on request, but rather out of the goodness of their heart. While we never asked to be save, we will feel forever indebted to the individual/society.
“A person can trigger a feeling of indebtedness by doing us an uninvited favor” (Cialdini, 31).This is the case with the Monsignor and Jean Valjean, as Jean did not ask to be saved from the authorities nor did he ask for the silver.
Persuasion with Dr. Perks 
I really enjoyed this post. I’m a huge fan of LesMiz everything. I like how you related this to the uninvited favor. One thing that is constantly on my mind when I think of media relating to Cialdini’s uninvited favor is a scene from Pixar’s The Incredibles. When Mr. Incredible saves a man from committing suicide off a building, the viewer expects the man to be grateful and naturally want to return the favor, but the man sues Mr. Incredible instead for “ruining his death”. An example of how it can seem so out of place when people don’t follow these everyday automatic tendencies to want to return favors.