Fantine in Les Misérables sold her hair and then her teeth to pay for medicine for Cosette. It was her last recourse for money before falling into prostitution

Fantine in Les Misérables sold her hair and then her teeth to pay for medicine for Cosette. It was her last recourse for money before falling into prostitution. A detail in a work of fiction, but not a stretch to believe it's drawn from real life.