Well, this may be a vague explanation, but, dropping out of school makes it look like you hate school so much you drop out... and then peoples' opinions come in, and they label the dropouts as "punks" or even, sometimes, "delinquents".
He was author of one of the most important novels in France: Les Misérables, may be is the most famous literature French work.
Even the novel have been adapted several times in Hollywood films, and there's a Broadway musical representation that also was adapted in film and was casted by Anne Hathaway in the role of Fantine, and Hugh Jackman in the role of Jean Valjean.
When the novel was released Victor Hugo was already famous, and people was impatient for the novel (kind of J. K. Rowling nowadays), and was an immediate success.
I have never read the book, but is long, it has 5 volumes, each of them it's a book itself.
Answer:
Studying English Literature opens everyone up to a world of inspiration and creativity. This is because it helps us develop skills that are very essential for today's global government. It gives us a chance to make sense of the world through stories, poems, novels, and plays. Studying literature also helps us learn and understand our cultures and others cultures. Also we learn to emphasize with characters to feel their joy and pain.
Hope this helps !