Some critics believe that Hugo's Les Miserables (1862) outshines The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The book exposes the struggles of the underclass in France. It is interesting to note that the year this book was published, Hugo began financing a weekly dinner for fifty poor children, reflecting the sentiments he expresses in this story.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) focuses on a hideous-looking monster with fine feelings. The book is an example of the gothic horror novel.

Charles Dickens, a contemporary of Hugo, wrote Oliver Twist (1837), a novel that portrays the hardships of the poor in London. A poor orphaned boy escapes from his cruel master only to find life even more difficult on the streets.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), one of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic works, features a well-mannered gentleman who struggles against his anti-social desires in...