Life, misfortune, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are the fields of battle which have their heroes; obscure heroes, who are, sometimes, grander than the heroes who win renown.
Hugo shifts the idea of heroism away from medals and into daily survival. He lists ordinary disasters like a battlefield roll call, making hardship sound like war. The contrast between “obscure heroes” and famous heroes is the point, because it says endurance can be as brave as victory. In Les Misérables, many people fight quietly: mothers, workers, children, and the poor. The line honors those struggles without turning them into pity. It can uplift someone who feels unseen while doing hard, decent work. The quote reframes survival as courage.