Sorry about missing the usual Monday post. I did lose power from Hurricane Matthew and didn't get it back until early Tuesdat morning, so I decided to wait until the next scheduled posting, today. The storm did its fair share of damage; I lost five large hardwood trees, one of which toppled over missing my house by no more than inches-but it did miss. The others fell away from the house, fortunately. A combination of the high winds and rain loosening the roots' hold on the earth. The shortest of the five was probably 40-50 feet. Left me with a pretty messy yard, but I've been fortunate enough to find people who've already got me cleaned up.
I've tried to stay true to normal courtroom procedures, and think I've generally done it pretty well. The demeanors of counsel are also fairly true to life; the attorneys for opposing sides are generally hostile to one another within the confines of the case at hand, but they of course share a profession, which often gives them greater affinity for each other than for their respective clients. In criminal law prosecutors are often especially antagonistic toward defense lawyers, but even so there's frequently an underlying feeling of camaraderie outside the courtroom doors, and wins and losses are commonly taken pretty much in stride with the lawyers recognizing any coups achieved by their opponents. True, a lot is at stake in the cases they try, but it's still a professional contest in which they may invest a great deal more interest than in the consequences to the poor souls whose money and/or freedom, even lives, may be in issue.
That, of course, isn't how Hugo sees it. I've tried to present him as something of an idealist untarnished by the rather cynical gamesmanship that pollutes modern society, and his ability to discern absolute truth from falsehood naturally colors his perceptions. Hark back on his tale of the stutterer to better grasp why he sees the law as a truly honorable trade in which to pursue his efforts to find a place in the new world to which he's come.