Do they explain the context for that, with Marius's father, etc? I imagine if they didn't, it would be weird.

Oh yes, at great length! Then, Thénardier tells Éponine in prison about what really happened, and she tells Marius when she lies dying, and then Marius uses it towards the end to turn the tables on Thénardier when he comes to blackmail him. And then he sends him, Madame, and Azelma to America with lots of money as a very dire punishment, because apparently America is the punishment you inflict on people you really, really don't want to keep hanging around. **giggles**

As for the hat: Malkovert has this nice tall stovepipe hat as in the canon illustrations, not the bicorne hat that Rush!vert has at first, which the Nazgul liked so much.-