# Chapter VI explained — Martin Chuzzlewit > Chapter companion for Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens. ## What happens Martin Chuzzlewit confides in Tom Pinch about his strained relationship with his wealthy grandfather, his disinheritance, and his secret love for Mary Graham. The Pecksniff family departs for London, leaving Tom and Martin alone to dine on leftovers. Martin's cynical view of human nature clashes with Tom's simple, good-hearted optimism. ## Themes in this chapter ### Hypocrisy and Self-Deception Martin criticizes his grandfather's selfishness while revealing his own self-centered view of love and relationships, and Pecksniff's condescending promise to deliver Tom's letter exemplifies his false benevolence. ### Family and Dysfunction Martin's disinheritance and strained relationship with his grandfather, along with Tom's orphaned state, underscore the dysfunctional family dynamics central to the novel. ## Character check-ins ### Martin Chuzzlewit Young Martin reveals his disinheritance, his love for Mary Graham, and his critical view of his grandfather's selfishness and obstinacy. ### Tom Pinch Tom listens sympathetically to Martin's confessions, enjoys the leftover feast with simple delight, and is teased by the Pecksniff sisters about his sister Ruth. ### Seth Pecksniff Pecksniff condescendingly promises to deliver Tom's letter to his sister, then departs for London with his daughters. ### Charity Pecksniff Charity sets out the leftover food for Tom and Martin before leaving with her father and sister. ### Mercy Pecksniff Mercy walks arm-in-arm with Martin to the coach and is amused by the mention of Tom's sister. ## Key lines > I have been bred and reared all my life by this grandfather of whom I have just spoken. Now, he has a great many good points—there is no doubt about that; I'll not disguise the fact from you—but he has two very great faults, which are the staple of his bad side. In the first place, he has the most confirmed obstinacy of character you ever met with in any human creature. In the second, he is most abominably selfish. Martin explains that his grandfather raised him but is extremely stubborn and selfish. _Martin outlines the flaws he perceives in his grandfather's character._ > I am in love, Pinch. I am in love with one of the most beautiful girls the sun ever shone upon. But she is wholly and entirely dependent upon the pleasure of my grandfather; and if he were to know that she favoured my passion, she would lose her home and everything she possesses in the world. Martin confesses his love for Mary Graham, who depends on his grandfather and would be ruined if the old man discovered their feelings. _Martin reveals the secret of his love and its precarious situation._ > The perfect and entire satisfaction of Tom; his surpassing appreciation of the husky sandwiches, which crumbled in his mouth like sawdust; the unspeakable relish with which he swallowed the thin wine by drops, and smacked his lips, as though it were so rich and generous that to lose an atom of its fruity flavour were a sin; the look with which he paused sometimes, with his glass in his hand, proposing silent toasts to himself; and the anxious shade that came upon his contented face when, after wandering round the room, exulting in its uninvaded snugness, his glance encountered the dull brow of his companion; no cynic in the world, though in his hatred of its men a very griffin, could have withstood these things in Thomas Pinch. Tom's genuine enjoyment of the simple leftover meal is so pure that even the most cynical person would be moved by it. _The narrator contrasts Tom's innocent contentment with Martin's brooding mood._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/martin_chuzzlewit_se/chapters/vi - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/martin_chuzzlewit_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/martin_chuzzlewit_se/chapters