Patron-Minette

Patron-Minette was the name given to a street gang in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the musical of the same name. The gang consisted of four criminals: Montparnasse, Claquesous, Babet, and Gueulemer. They were well acquainted with the Thénardiers, who recruited them to assist in robbing Jean Valjean.

Hugo explains that the name "Patron-Minette" is an old-fashioned slang expression referring to the early dawn, "the hour at which their work ended, the dawn being the vanishing moment for phantoms and for the separation of ruffians".

Read more about Patron-Minette:  Character Descriptions, In The Novel, In The Musical