Yes, he saved the life of the Baron Marius Ponmercy who was in love with Cossete.
Jean Valjean found lodging at the Bishop's house in Digne after being released from prison. The Bishop's act of kindness and compassion towards Valjean changes his life and sets him on a path towards redemption.
He dies of old age. He has lived an extremely long life, taking care of his own family, then spending 19 years in prison, then spending a long time recreating himself in Montreuil-sur-Mer, then raising Cosette. In the book, at Marius's and Cosette's wedding, Valjean finally comes clean about his past. Marius is horrified and steers Cosette away from Valjean. When this occurs, Valjean loses the will to live and takes to his bed. It is only when Marius discovers that Valjean saved his life that he realizes that Valjean is truly a great man. Marius and Cosette rush to Valjean's bedside only to find him weak and dying. When he does die, Fantine and Eponine take him away to heaven as angels. So the ending is uplifting because he has led a full, honorable life.
According to the narrator, it is love and compassion that keep Jean Valjean and all of us good. These feelings and actions towards others help us find redemption and lead us to live a virtuous life.
The convict, Jean Valjean, steals the bishop's silver candlesticks out of desperation because he is homeless and hungry. He is caught by the police but when the bishop covers for him and gives him even more of his belongings, it inspires Jean Valjean to turn his life around and be a better person.
In "Les Miserables," Jean Valjean buries the stolen silver candlesticks of the Bishop in the forest as a way of letting go of his past sins and starting anew with a clean conscience. This symbolic act represents Valjean's transformation and redemption as he seeks to live a better life.
Jean Valjean steals the silver from the Bishop's house out of desperation and to provide for himself and avoid starvation. He later feels guilty for stealing and returns to the Bishop, who shows him kindness and forgiveness, leading Valjean to change his ways.
Jean Valjean is the man whom the book is based on, however because he has such love for his adopted daughter Cosette, she has become the central advertising character as seen specifically on posters.
Cosette's presence in Jean Valjean's life brings about a transformation from a hardened, lonely man consumed by his past to someone capable of experiencing and giving love. She becomes his source of hope, redemption, and purpose, ultimately leading him to find peace and salvation.
In the beginning of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean, an ex-convict out on parole, is given shelter by a kind Bishop. Later, when Valjean is caught by the authorities after trying to steal the Bishop's silver, the Bishop lies to the men, telling them the silver had been a gift, and gives Valjean candlesticks as well. Valjean realizes that the world is not devoid of kind people, and is both inspired and shamed by the Bishop, who claims that he has rescued Valjean's soul "for God." In the musical version, Valjean then claims, "I feel my shame inside me like a knife." He also marvels, "What spirit comes to move my life? Is there another way to go?" Thus, the lesson he learns from the Bishop is that there is still the possibility for him to start a new life; that "another story must begin."
He is the main character, who has to go to jail for stealing bread, but finally fixes his life years later.
Les Miserables begins by introducing the reader to the minor character Bishop Bienvenu. Jean Valjean is searching for shelter and is told to knock on the Bishop's door. Jean Valjean, allowed to stay the night within the Bishop's home, steals some of Bienvenu's expensive silver and runs away. When Jean Valjean is brought back to Bishop Bienvenu by some men under the suspicion that he stole the silver, Bishop Bienvenu insists they were a gift and that Jean Valjean had forgotten to take also the matching candlesticks. This simple act of the Bishop astounds Jean Valjean who has been hardened by the cruelty of society and the French justice system. This night ultimately leads to Jean Valjean's entire remodeling of his life to become a valued, respected, productive member of society.
Jean stayed with the Bishop and then stole silver from him. He is caught and brought back to the Bishop, who instead of accusing him, claims that he gave Valjean the silver and that he has, with it, purchased his soul for God. He also tells him that he forgot the candlesticks, which he gives to Valjean before he leaves. The effect isn't immediate, but this one act of mercy and generosity attributed to God changes his life permanently. Instead of being bitter and resentful about the consistent mistreatment and injustice of his past life, he realizes that he can change and become more than he has been... and even make a difference for others.