# Machinery in Motion explained — Little Dorrit

> Chapter companion for Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

Arthur Clennam negotiates a business partnership with Daniel Doyce through Mr. Meagles, while Mr. Pancks aggressively collects rents in Bleeding Heart Yard. Clennam also seeks information about the Dorrit family from Pancks, and encounters Flora Finching and Mr. F.'s Aunt at the Patriarch's office.

## Themes in this chapter

### Bureaucracy and Institutional Corruption

Pancks' harsh rent collection methods and his cynical view of references highlight the corrupt and impersonal nature of business and institutional practices.

### Social Class and Hypocrisy

The contrast between the Patriarch's benign appearance and Pancks' ruthless actions underscores class hypocrisy in Bleeding Heart Yard.

## Character check-ins

### Arthur Clennam

Arranges a business partnership with Daniel Doyce via Mr. Meagles, and makes a bargain with Mr. Pancks to learn about the Dorrit family.

### Mr. Pancks

Collects rents aggressively in Bleeding Heart Yard, agrees to a bargain with Clennam regarding the Dorrit family, and interacts with the Patriarch and Mr. F.'s Aunt.

### Mr. Meagles

Facilitates the negotiation between Clennam and Doyce, reporting Doyce's cautious but honorable response to the partnership proposal.

### Daniel Doyce

Agrees to let Clennam examine his business books and papers, but stipulates conditions to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

### Flora Casby

Visits the Patriarch's office with Mr. F.'s Aunt, mentions employing the young needlewoman recommended by Clennam, and tries to manage her aunt's outbursts.

### Mr. Casby

The Patriarch, benignly present during the interactions, offering vague blessings and wisdom.

## Key lines

> Take all you can get, and keep back all you can’t be forced to give up. That’s business.

Maximize your gains and minimize your losses by any means necessary—that's the essence of business.

_Pancks articulates his ruthless business philosophy to Clennam._

> A person who can’t pay, gets another person who can’t pay, to guarantee that he can pay. Like a person with two wooden legs getting another person with two wooden legs, to guarantee that he has got two natural legs.

An insolvent person finds another insolvent person to vouch for them, which is as useless as a legless person certifying another's ability to walk.

_Pancks criticizes the futility of references in business transactions._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxiii-machinery-in-motion
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters