The Hunchback of Notre-Dame: Novel Summary: Book IV Chapter 3

Summary
In 1482 Quasimodo had grown up. He had spent his whole life since Frollo adopted him within Notre Dame and a deep sympathy had grown between him and the church so that it seemed that his twisted body was shaped to resemble the gothic windings of the edifice. He had explored every nook and cranny of the enormous structure and was equally comfortable crawling in the cellar or scrambling across its roof. He scaled the massive towers with ease and without fear of falling. He had taken to the bells at an early age and at age fourteen had become the official bell ringer for Notre Dame. Frollo taught him to speak but after some time the bells made him deaf and thus, robbed of his one door to the external world, Quasimodo became bitter and melancholy. He maintained strict silence and spoke only when he was alone. He became mischievous and strong. He had never known anything but scorn and malice from mankind and he sought company only with the stone statues and gargoyles that peopled the cathedral. The only thing that brought joy to his life were the bells, there were fifteen in all but the largest, which he named Marie, was his favorite. Only the thunderous volume of the great bells could pierce Quasimodo's deafness and he considered them his children. On the certain days that he was allowed to ring Marie, Quasimodo would wait until the bell was in full peal and then jump atop and straddle the great bell shouting his joy. Those who lived in the vicinity of the church came to regard Quasimodo as a kind of demon whose power infused the whole structure.