"The ideal and the beautiful are identical; the ideal corresponds to the idea, and beauty to form; hence idea and substance are cognate"

Victor Hugo's quote suggests that the ideal and the stunning are one and the exact same. The ideal is related to the idea, while beauty is associated with type. For that reason, idea and substance are related. This quote suggests that the ideal is something that is envisioned, while beauty is something that is tangible. Hugo is suggesting that the perfect and the gorgeous are linked, which one can not exist without the other. The suitable is the principle, while appeal is the physical symptom of that principle. Hugo is suggesting that the ideal and the beautiful are 2 sides of the very same coin, and that they are both essential for something to be truly beautiful. Hugo's quote is a reminder that charm is more than just skin deep, which the ideal and the gorgeous are linked.