# XII explained — Man and Wife

> Chapter companion for Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Geoffrey Delamayn reads Hester Dethridge's private confession, which reveals her terrifying vision of a doppelgänger that commands her to kill a child, and her ongoing struggle against homicidal impulses. Realizing the power this confession gives him over her, he resolves to use it to his advantage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Resilience

Hester's internal torment and her repeated, agonizing resistance to the homicidal urge illustrate profound suffering and a desperate resilience.

### Betrayal and Deception

Geoffrey's decision to exploit Hester's confession for his own ends constitutes a betrayal of trust and a form of deception.

## Character check-ins

### Geoffrey Delamayn

Reads Hester Dethridge's confession and decides to use it to control her.

### Hester Dethridge

Her written confession describes her first vision of a doppelgänger and the homicidal urge it inspires; she wakes to find her manuscript taken.

## Key lines

> I saw the vision of my own self, repeated as if I was standing before a glass—the double of myself, looking at me with my own eyes.

Hester describes seeing a perfect apparition of herself, as if looking into a mirror.

_This is the central supernatural event of the confession, establishing Hester's psychological crisis._

> It was like tearing the life out of me to tear myself from killing the boy.

Resisting the urge to murder the child felt as agonizing as losing her own life.

_Highlights the extreme internal struggle Hester endures._

> If she wants it back, she must get it on my terms.

Geoffrey decides to use the confession as leverage to control Hester.

_Reveals Geoffrey's manipulative and predatory turn._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters/xii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters