While none of these worthys has much singing voice, the whole shebang is put to music. I don't believe there are a half dozen words spoken (as opposed to sung).
Les Miserables is a depressing story about no-hopers struggling with doom and doom mostly wins, as it does in life. The characters are often their own worst enemies, also true to life.
It is a good film, if seldom a fun one. The film is intentionally moving; the audience is supposed to empathize with poor Frenchmen and women being ground down by a system that has no heart and too many rules. Despite the artificiality of a bunch of "gutter rats" singing about their sad plight, it works. You end up caring about the characters, whose acting is far superior to their singing in most cases. If the singing voices aren't much, much of the music they sing is extraordinarily powerful.
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I have the same problem with this story I had years ago with One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest. Its audience is intended to end up hating the bossy head nurse who labors to keep order in the loony bin. In this film the "bad guy" is policeman Javert who pursues plucky parole violator Valjean for nearly two decades.
I can't hate either supposed villain. It is an unfortunate byproduct of a lifetime spent teaching business management. I empathize with the difficulties faced by authority figures trying against all odds to impose order upon chaos.
In both films I end up seeing the situation from the perspective of management, understanding their frustrations and challenges at least as much as those faced by the downtrodden protagonist who unrealisticly expects a bureaucratic system to respond appropriately to his individual, unique and atypical circumstances. Of course it cannot, therefore it does not, and furthermore it should not.
