Bleak House · Chapter
Moving On explained
During the long vacation, the Inns of Court are deserted.
What happens
During the long vacation, the Inns of Court are deserted. Mr. Guppy, Mrs. Snagsby, and the Chadbands interrogate Jo about a lady who gave him a sovereign. Jo's story is met with skepticism, but Mr. Guppy cross-examines him. Mrs. Chadband reveals she knew Esther Summerson as a child under the care of Kenge and Carboy. Jo is eventually told to move on.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
Jo's poverty and lack of education are contrasted with the comfortable, self-important middle-class characters who interrogate him.
Secrets and Identity
Mrs. Chadband's revelation about Esther Summerson hints at hidden pasts and the mystery of Esther's origins.
Bureaucracy and Dehumanization
The deserted legal district during the long vacation symbolizes the impersonal, stagnant nature of the legal system.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Guppy
Cross-examines Jo about the lady and the sovereign, showing his forensic interest.
- Jo
Tells his story about receiving a sovereign from a lady, but is disbelieved and ordered to move on.
- Mrs. Chadband
Reveals she was left in charge of Esther Summerson as a child.
- Mr. Chadband
Delivers a pompous discourse to Jo, calling him a 'human boy' and a 'jewel.'
- Mrs. Snagsby
Hosts the gathering and expresses indignation at Jo.
- Mr. Snagsby
Pleads with the constable not to lock up Jo, urging him to move on.
Key passages
“I dun it and she giv me a sov'ring and hooked it. And I an't had much of the sov'ring neither, fur I had to pay five bob, down in Tom-all-Alone's, afore they'd square it fur to give me change, and then a young man he thieved another five while I was asleep and another boy he thieved ninepence and the landlord he stood drains round with a lot more on it.”
Jo explains that a lady gave him a sovereign, but he lost most of it to various people in Tom-all-Alone's.
Jo's account of being exploited and cheated highlights his vulnerability and the harshness of his life.
“My young friend, it is because you know nothing that you are to us a gem and jewel. For what are you, my young friend? Are you a beast of the field? No. A bird of the air? No. A fish of the sea or river? No. You are a human boy, my young friend.”
Chadband tells Jo that his ignorance makes him precious, and that he is a human boy, not an animal.
Chadband's condescending rhetoric patronizes Jo while claiming to uplift him.