&quot;The Man Who Laughs&quot; is a novel by French writer Victor Hugo that was first published in April 1869 under the French title &quot;<i>L&rsquo;Homme qui rit</i>&quot;, just two years before the establishment of the Paris Commune. It was adapted into a popular 1928 film, directed by Paul Leni.<br /><br />&quot;The Man Who Laughs&quot; tells the story of young man named Gwynplaine, whose mouth is horribly deformed. When he is a child, he rescues a little girl from a snowstorm, and the two fall in love when they grow older. Gwynplaine is the embodiment of the people; he represents all those who are oppressed by the powerful and can do nothing about it.<br /><br />Every issue, including social inequality, the corruption of power, the political responsibility to intervene, the crushing of the individual by the system, is latent and is masterfully revealed through a plot in which love is a driving force.&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;