The Invention of Hugo Cabret: Part 2, Chapter 3: The Plan Summary & Analysis

Hugo and Isabelle exit the bedroom and Hugo gets Isabelle ice for her foot, which she hurt when the chair broke. Jeanne comes into the room, and the children try to question her about what is going on. However, Jeanne refuses to say anything. Instead, she tells Hugo that he can stay the night, but after that, she does not want him around Isabelle anymore. 

Once everyone is in bed, Hugo sneaks over to Georges’s jacket and steals his keys. Then, he makes his way to the toy shop and tries every key until he finds the right one. Once the shop is open, Hugo searches it in an attempt to find anything that could solve the mystery of Georges and the drawings. Although he doesn’t find what he is looking for, he does come across the little windup toy that he broke and then fixed for Georges. Apparently, Georges decided to keep it rather than sell it, which makes Hugo happy.

Not sure what else to do, Hugo makes his way back to his room. He is worried because his injured hand prevents him from doing his job. Soon, he thinks, the Station Inspector will realize the clocks are out of sync and come looking for him. Hugo lays down in bed and starts dreaming. His dreams are full of images of clocks, Georges, Isabelle, and the automaton. The last image he remembers before waking up is the Station Inspector’s hand reaching out to grab him.

When Hugo wakes up, he is excited. He has an idea of how to solve the mystery of Georges. He makes his way to the bookstore and asks the shopkeeper if he has any books on movies. The shopkeeper recognizes Hugo as Isabelle’s friend and tells him he would be happy to help. Together, Hugo and the shopkeeper look for books on early cinema but cannot find anything. However, before Hugo leaves, the shopkeeper tells him to try the Film Academy library. The shopkeeper gives Hugo instructions, and Hugo takes off running, excited about what he might find.