The people—particularly in the Middle Ages—are to society what the child is in the family；and as long as they are allowed to remain at that primitive stage of ignorance，of moral and intellectual nonage，it may be said of them as of childhood—'It is an age that knows not pity.'
We have already shown that Quasimodo was universally hated—for more than one good reason，it must be admitted—for there was hardly an individual among the crowd of spectators but had or thought he had some cause of complaint against the malevolent hunchback of Notre-Dame.All had rejoiced to see him make his appearance on the pillory；and the severe punishment he had just undergone，and the pitiable plight in which it had left him，so far from softening the hearts of the populace，had rendered their hatred more malicious by pointing it with the sting of merriment.
Accordingly，'public vengeance'—vindicte publique，as the jargon of the law courts still has it—being satisfied，a thousand private revenges now had their turn.Here，as in the great Hall，the women were most in evidence.Every one of them had some grudge against him—some for his wicked deeds，others for his ugly face—and the latter were the most incensed of the two.
'Oh，image of the Antichrist！'cried one.
'Thou rider on the broomstick！'screamed another.
'Oh，the fine tragical grimace！'yelled a third，'and that would have made him Pope of Fools if to-day had been yesterday.'
'Good！'chimed in an old woman，'this is the pillory grin.When are we going to see him grin through a noose？'
'When shall we see thee bonneted by thy great bell and driven a hundred feet underground，thrice-cursed bell-ringer？'
'And to think that this foul fiend should ring the Angelus！'
'Oh，the misbegotten hunchback！the monster！'
'To look at him is enough to make a woman miscarry better than any medicines or pharmacy.'
And the two scholars，Jehan of the Mill and Robin Poussepain，struck in at the pitch of their voices with the refrain of an old popular song：
'A halter For the gallows rogue，
A fagot For the witch's brat.'
A thousand abusive epithets were hurled at him，with hoots and imprecations and bursts of laughter，and now and then a stone or two.
Quasimodo was deaf，but he saw very clearly，and the fury of the populace was not less forcibly expressed in their faces than in their words.Besides，the stones that struck him explained the bursts of laughter.
At first he bore it well enough.But，by degrees，the patience that had remained inflexible under the scourge of the torturer relaxed and broke down under the insect stings.The Asturian bull that bears unmoved the attack of the picadors is exasperated by the dogs and banderillas.
Slowly he cast a look of menace over the crowd；but，bound hand and foot as he was，his glance was impotent to drive away these flies that stung his wounds.He shook himself in his toils，and his furious struggles made the old wheel of the pillory creak upon its timbers；all of which merely served to increase the hooting and derision.
Then the poor wretch，finding himself unable to burst his fetters，became quiet again；only at intervals a sigh of rage burst from his tortured breast.No flush of shame dyed that face.He was too far removed from social convention，too near a state of nature，to know what shame was.In any case，at that degree of deformity，is a sense of infamy possible？But resentment，hatred，and despair slowly spread a cloud over that hideous countenance，growing ever more gloomy，ever more charged with electricity，which flashed in a thousand lightnings from the eye of the Cyclops.
Nevertheless，the cloud lifted a moment，at the appearance of a mule which passed through the crowd，ridden by a priest.From the moment that he caught sight of the priest，the poor victim's countenance softened，and the rage that distorted it gave place to a strange soft smile full of ineffable tenderness.
As the priest approached nearer，this smile deepened，became more distinct，more radiant，as though the poor creature hailed the advent of a saviour.Alas！no sooner was the mule come near enough to the pillory for its rider to recognise the person of the culprit，than the priest cast down his eyes，turned his steed abruptly，and hastened away，as if anxious to escape any humiliating appeal，and not desirous of being recognised and greeted by a poor devil in such a position.
This priest was the Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo.
And now the cloud fell thicker and darker than before over the face of Quasimodo.The smile still lingered for a while，but it was bitter，disheartened，unutterably sad.
Time was passing：he had been there for at least an hour and a half，lacerated，abused，mocked，and well-nigh stoned to death.
Suddenly he renewed his struggles against his bonds with such desperation that the old structure on which he was fixed rocked beneath him.Then，breaking the silence he had obstinately preserved，he cried aloud in a hoarse and furious voice，more like the cry of a dog than a human being，and that rang above the hooting and the shouts，'Water！'