Claude Frollo motivator

I'm sure this has already been pointed out, but in the original novel, Frollo was an archdeacon, a highly devout man. He adopted Quasimodo out of kindness, not out of fear for his soul.

But when he sees Esmeralda, all that is thrown out the window. He stabs Phoebus in the back and blames Esmeralda so that he can attempt to convince her to be with him, which doesn't work because Esmeralda is too far in grief for Phoebus (who is actually still alive).

In the end, Esmeralda is hung, Quasimodo pushes Frollo off of the cathedral, and Phoebus is the only one who gets a happy ending. Quasimodo's skeleton is found in the cathedral holding Esmeralda's skeleton some years later.

Frollo in the novel is a tragic figure, his character meant to show that even the most pious can fall to temptation. In the film, Frollo carries with him a different message: absolute power corrupts absolutely, as no matter how much you may think you're doing the right thing, it still doesn't justify evil acts.