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Part 1, Chapter 8: Cards
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Magic, Cinema, and Imagination
Friendship, Honesty, and Vulnerability
Meaning and Purpose
Hardship and Maturity
Summary
Analysis
That evening, after work, Hugo reads through his new book and practices some tricks. As he does so, he thinks about Isabelle and how she referred to him as her “friend” when speaking with Etienne. He wonders if Isabelle can be his friend since he is keeping so many secrets from her. Before going to bed, he works on the automaton. He looks at the various mechanisms he’s stolen from Georges and suddenly realizes that one of them will work perfectly. After a bit of work, Hugo attaches the piece to the automaton’s arm socket. Afterwards, he is pleased with himself because this is the first time he’s managed to fix something on the automaton without the help of the notebook. Although Hugo is unsure whether he can fix the whole automaton without the notebook, he plans to try until he can get it back from Georges.
This section features two notable developments for Hugo’s character. First, he takes a moment to reexamine his relationship with Isabelle. Hugo has not had a friend since his father’s death, and he knows friendship requires opening up to another person. Prior to the death of Hugo’s father, friendship was easy because Hugo did not have such complex and emotionally devastating secrets. Second, Hugo finally makes progress on the automaton without the help of his father or the notebook. Hugo’s success demonstrates that he is capable of fixing the automaton without Georges’s cooperation, which means he is back in control of his own destiny.
Themes
Over the next week, Hugo spends all of his time working and gets very little sleep. Whenever he is not at Georges’s shop, he is maintaining clocks, and the rest of his time goes toward working on the automaton. However, when Tuesday arrives, he does make some time to go see Isabelle and Etienne at the movie theater. When Isabelle sees Hugo, she tells him that she still hasn’t found his notebook, but she thinks she knows where it could be. Hugo thinks about once again telling Isabelle not to look inside it when she finds it but decides against it.
Hugo spends more time working than most adults, making his time off at the movie theater well deserved. When Hugo meets Isabelle, he shows maturity and restraint by not asking about the notebook. At this point, he trusts that Isabelle knows his feelings on the matter, and he realizes it will only harm their friendship if he repeats the warning again.
Themes
Instead, Hugo asks Isabelle why Georges doesn’t let her watch movies. Isabelle says she doesn’t know but thinks her parents would let her go to the movies if they were alive. Then, Isabelle explains that her parents died when she was a baby, and Georges took her in because he is her godfather. She also mentions someone named Mama Jeanne—who is presumably Georges’s wife—but she does not elaborate. Hugo does not respond to anything Isabelle says, so she changes the subject. She wonders aloud where Etienne could be—usually, he would have let her in at this point.
Finally, the novel clarifies the relationship between Isabelle and Georges. As it turns out, Isabelle and Hugo have more in common than Hugo previously realized. Like Hugo, Isabelle is an orphan, though she at least has someone looking after her. However, even though Isabelle opened up to him, Hugo still does not feel comfortable reciprocating. He registers their similarities but does not let Isabelle in on them.
Themes
Hugo goes looking for Etienne and runs into the theater’s manager. Hugo asks the manager about Etienne. In response, the manager tells Hugo that he just fired Etienne for helping children sneak into the theater. Then, he gives Hugo an accusatory look. Hugo returns to Isabelle and reports what he learned from the manager. Annoyed, Isabelle takes a bobby pin out of her pocket and uses it to unlock one of the theater’s back doors. Together, Isabelle and Hugo sneak inside the theater. There, they see movie posters for upcoming attractions. Isabelle says that she likes the posters almost as much as the movies themselves.
The theater manager’s look implies that he knows Hugo is one of the children Etienne is helping sneak into the theater. Luckily, it turns out that, like Hugo, Isabelle is quite resourceful and gets them in anyway. For Isabelle, sneaking into the theater is not a big risk. If she gets in trouble, she will only get a stern scolding. However, Hugo worries that any trouble could mean that someone contacts the authorities, which would be very bad for him. Whether this is true remains to be seen, but, in Hugo’s mind, he is taking a big risk by sneaking into the theater with Isabelle.
Themes
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However, Hugo and Isabelle don’t get to look at the posters for long because Isabelle hears the manager coming. Together, Hugo and Isabelle hurry to their seats in the dark theater where the manager won’t be able to see them. At the front of the theater is a large curtain, which opens to display a black screen. Moments later, the bright light of the projector springs to life, and several newsreels play. The newsreels all focus on world events such as the Great Depression and the upcoming World’s Fair in Paris.
Although it is a rare sight today, in the early 20th century it was common for movie theater to save large curtains that would open when the show was about to begin. Similarly, it is also the case that newsreels would play in front of most films. During wars or other times of political crisis, the newsreels were closer to propaganda than informative news, though that is not the case here.
Themes
After the newsreels, a short cartoon plays. The cartoon is about clocks, which are alive and dancing. Hugo enjoys the cartoon and knows his father would love it as well. Finally, the main feature begins: The Million, directed by René Clair. It is an exciting movie that culminates in a big chase sequence, which dazzles Hugo. Hugo loves his time in the theater and is sad when it comes to an end. As everyone else leaves, Hugo and Isabelle sit in the theater, soaking up every last moment of the experience.
Again, everything in this scene is historically accurate, and the film Hugo watches, The Million, is real. René Clair is one of the most noteworthy directors in French history. His most famous films are The Million, Freedom Forever, and And Then There Were None.
Themes
Suddenly, the manager appears behind them and throws them out. He warns them not to come back. Isabelle and Hugo walk together, as Isabelle tells Hugo about other films she’s seen. She mentions Louise Brooks, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Renoir, and Buster Keaton. Hugo has seen a few Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton movies himself, but he does not tell Isabelle.
As it turns out, the punishment for being caught sneaking into the theater is less harsh than Hugo fears. Meanwhile, Isabelle is knowledgeable about all the famous stars of the time. Chaplin, Keaton, and Brooks are all famous silent film stars. Meanwhile, Renoir was France’s premier filmmaker at the time, who was also an international success. Renoir made many notable films throughout his career, the most notable of which was The Rules of the Game.
Themes
Eventually, Isabelle and Hugo return to the train station where they run into the Station Inspector. Hugo tries to hide, and Isabelle asks him what he is doing. Hugo doesn’t say anything, but he curses himself for having ever left the station. Eventually, the Station Inspector moves on, and Hugo tells Isabelle he has to go without explaining further. Isabelle continues asking Hugo questions and eventually he gets too overwhelmed, so he takes off running.
Unlike Hugo, Isabelle has no fear of authority, and so she can’t imagine why Hugo would be afraid of the Station Inspector. In fact, it is not clear that Hugo’s paranoia surrounding the Station Inspector is warranted. Of course, he is right that there would be an issue if the Station Inspector found out he was stealing and living in the train station. But, at the moment, his paranoia seems excessive.
Themes
Isabelle chases after Hugo in the crowded station. However, before long, she collides with an adult and falls to the ground. As she falls, Hugo sees she has a necklace with a key on the end. The tip of the key is shaped like a heart. Hugo returns to Isabelle and helps her up. As he does so, he stares at the key. Hugo asks Isabelle about the key. In response, Isabelle asks Hugo where he lives.
Like the notebook, the key around Isabelle’s neck means something to both its owner (Isabelle) and Hugo. However, also like the notebook, neither person is willing to share with the other, so the significance of the key remains a mystery for the time being.
Themes
Neither is willing to answer, so Isabelle gets up and runs away. Hugo follows her to a café in the train station. There, Isabelle asks Hugo why he is interested in her key. Hugo explains that he wants to know where it came from. However, Isabelle refuses to answer. Instead, they sit in the café and stare at each other until the café owner asks them to leave. Then, Hugo and Isabelle go their separate ways without saying anything to each other.
In general, Isabelle is more willing to share information with Hugo than Hugo is to share information with Isabelle. However, because Hugo does not trust her, she responds in kind. As with the notebook, many of the characters’ issues would be solved if they could simply open up to each other. However, their refusal makes the mystery of the key and the notebook drag on.
Themes
