Orphaned， the eldest， head of the family at the age of nineteen， he felt himself rudely recalled from the reveries of school to the realities of this world. Then， moved with pity， he was seized with passion and devotion towards that child， his brother； a sweet and strange thing was a human affection to him， who had hitherto loved his books alone.
This affection developed to a singular point； in a soul so new， it was like a first love. Separated since infancy from his parents， whom he had hardly known； cloistered and immured， as it were， in his books； eager above all things to study and to learn； exclusively attentive up to that time， to his intelligence which broadened in science， to his imagination， which expanded in letters，--the poor scholar had not yet had time to feel the place of his heart.
This young brother， without mother or father， this little child which had fallen abruptly from heaven into his arms， made a new man of him. He perceived that there was something else in the world besides the speculations of the Sorbonne， and the verses of Homer； that man needed affections； that life without tenderness and without love was only a set of dry， shrieking， and rending wheels. Only， he imagined， for he was at the age when illusions are as yet replaced only by illusions， that the affections of blood and family were the sole ones necessary， and that a little brother to love sufficed to fill an entire existence.
He threw himself， therefore， into the love for his little Jehan with the passion of a character already profound， ardent， concentrated； that poor frail creature， pretty， fair-haired， rosy， and curly，--that orphan with another orphan for his only support， touched him to the bottom of his heart；and grave thinker as he was， he set to meditating upon Jehan with an infinite compassion. He kept watch and ward over him as over something very fragile， and very worthy of care.
He was more than a brother to the child； he became a mother to him.
Little Jehan had lost his mother while he was still at the breast； Claude gave him to a nurse. Besides the fief of Tirechappe， he had inherited from his father the fief of Moulin， which was a dependency of the square tower of Gentilly；it was a mill on a hill， near the chateau of Winchestre (Bicêtre). There was a miller's wife there who was nursing a fine child； it was not far from the university， and Claude carried the little Jehan to her in his own arms.
From that time forth， feeling that he had a burden to bear， he took life very seriously. The thought of his little brother became not only his recreation， but the object of his studies.
He resolved to consecrate himself entirely to a future for which he was responsible in the sight of God， and never to have any other wife， any other child than the happiness and fortune of his brother. Therefore， he attached himself more closely than ever to the clerical profession. His merits， his learning， his quality of immediate vassal of the Bishop of Paris， threw the doors of the church wide open to him. At the age of twenty， by special dispensation of the Holy See， he was a priest， and served as the youngest of the chaplains of Notre-Dame the altar which is called， because of the late mass which is said there， ~altare pigrorum~.
There， plunged more deeply than ever in his dear books， which he quitted only to run for an hour to the fief of Moulin， this mixture of learning and austerity， so rare at his age， had promptly acquired for him the respect and admiration of the monastery. From the cloister， his reputation as a learned man had passed to the people， among whom it had changed a little， a frequent occurrence at that time， into reputation as a sorcerer.
It was at the moment when he was returning， on Quasimodo day， from saying his mass at the Altar of the Lazy， which was by the side of the door leading to the nave on the right， near the image of the Virgin， that his attention had been attracted by the group of old women chattering around the bed for foundlings.
Then it was that he approached the unhappy little creature， which was so hated and so menaced. That distress， that deformity， that abandonment， the thought of his young brother， the idea which suddenly occurred to him， that if he were to die， his dear little Jehan might also be flung miserably on the plank for foundlings，--all this had gone to his heart simultaneously； a great pity had moved in him， and he had carried off the child.
When he removed the child from the sack， he found it greatly deformed， in very sooth. The poor little wretch had a wart on his left eye， his head placed directly on his shoulders， his spinal column was crooked， his breast bone prominent， and his legs bowed； but he appeared to be lively； and although it was impossible to say in what language he lisped， his cry indicated considerable force and health. Claude's compassion increased at the sight of this ugliness； and he made a vow in his heart to rear the child for the love of his brother， in order that， whatever might be the future faults of the little Jehan， he should have beside him that charity done for his sake. It was a sort of investment of good works， which he was effecting in the name of his young brother； it was a stock of good works which he wished to amass in advance for him， in case the little rogue should some day find himself short of that coin， the only sort which is received at the toll-bar of paradise.
He baptized his adopted child， and gave him the name of Quasimodo， either because he desired thereby to mark the day， when he had found him， or because he wished to designate by that name to what a degree the poor little creature was incomplete， and hardly sketched out. In fact， Quasimodo， blind， hunchbacked， knock-kneed， was only an "almost."