# Chapter II explained — Great Expectations

> Chapter companion for Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

Pip struggles with guilt and fear after his encounter with the convict, hiding his stolen bread and butter down his leg while enduring his sister's harsh treatment. During Christmas Eve dinner, Joe notices Pip's odd behavior, leading to a dose of tar water. Pip learns about convicts and the hulks from Joe and Mrs. Joe, deepening his terror of being discovered.

## Themes in this chapter

### Guilt and Redemption

Pip's overwhelming guilt from his promise to steal for the convict is vividly portrayed through his physical and emotional distress, such as hiding the bread and butter and fearing punishment.

### Crime and Injustice

The chapter introduces the theme of crime through Pip's impending theft and the presence of convicts, while Mrs. Joe's harshness hints at social injustice within Pip's own home.

## Character check-ins

### Pip

Pip is consumed by guilt and fear after promising to steal for the convict, hiding his bread and butter down his trouser leg and dreading discovery.

### Joe Gargery

Joe shows concern for Pip's strange behavior, trying to protect him from Mrs. Joe's wrath while maintaining their friendly bond.

### Mrs. Joe Gargery

Mrs. Joe is domineering and suspicious, forcing Pip to drink tar water and scolding him for asking questions about convicts.

### Magwitch

Magwitch is the escaped convict Pip met in the churchyard, whose threat drives Pip's fear and secret actions.

## Key lines

> Conscience is a dreadful thing when it accuses man or boy; but when, in the case of a boy, that secret burden cooperates with another secret burden down the leg of his trousers, it is (as I can testify) a great punishment.

Guilt is terrible for anyone, but for a boy hiding stolen food in his pants, it's an especially heavy punishment.

_Pip reflects on the combined weight of his guilty conscience and the physical evidence of his intended theft._

> I was in mortal terror of the young man who wanted my heart and liver; I was in mortal terror of my interlocutor with the iron leg; I was in mortal terror of myself, from whom an awful promise had been extracted; I had no hope of deliverance through my all-powerful sister.

Pip was terrified of the convict, the imaginary young man, and his own promise, with no help from his sister.

_Pip's multiple fears compound his sense of hopelessness, emphasizing his isolation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/great_expectations_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters