LX explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Social Injustice and Corruption

  Squeers' imprisonment and his threat to implicate Ralph highlight the corrupt dealings and exploitation within the educational and legal systems.

• Family and Loyalty

  The revelation of Smike as Ralph's son underscores the themes of familial betrayal and the consequences of broken family bonds.

• Hypocrisy and Appearance vs. Reality

  Squeers' pretense of moral uprightness contrasts with his actual criminal actions, and Ralph's outward control masks his inner desperation.

Characters to notice

• Ralph Nickleby

  Visits Squeers in prison, attempts to manipulate him into silence, and learns of the document that threatens his schemes.

• Wackford Squeers

  Imprisoned, drunk, and defiant; reveals the secret of Smike's parentage and the will, and threatens to expose Ralph.

• Smike

  Revealed to be the son of Ralph Nickleby, placed at Dotheboys Hall under the name Smike by Brooker.

• Newman Noggs

  Mentioned as the clerk who was approached by Brooker to learn about the ongoing events.

• Mr. Brooker

  Revealed as the man who brought Smike to Ralph's house and later placed him at Dotheboys Hall; now seeking money from Ralph.

Key passages

• “I brought the child home to his own house, and lodged him in the front garret. Neglect had made him very sickly, and I was obliged to call in a doctor, who said he must be removed for change of air, or he would die. I think that first put it in my head. I did it then. He was gone six weeks, and when he came back, I told him—with every circumstance well planned and proved; nobody could have suspected me—that the child was dead and buried.”

  Brooker recounts how he took Smike to Ralph's house, but the boy's poor health led to a doctor's recommendation for a change of air. Brooker then devised a plan to fake Smike's death and secretly place him in a Yorkshire school.

  This passage reveals the origin of Smike's false death and his placement at Dotheboys Hall, a key plot point.

• “I am the Wackford Squeers as is therein named, sir. I am the man as is guaranteed, by unimpeachable references, to be a out-and-outer in morals and uprightness of principle. Whatever is wrong in this business is no fault of mine. I had no evil design in it, sir. I was not aware that anything was wrong. I was merely employed by a friend, my friend Mr. Ralph Nickleby, of Golden Square.”

  Squeers imagines defending himself by claiming he is a man of unimpeachable morals and that any wrongdoing was due to his employment by Ralph Nickleby.

  This shows Squeers' attempt to shift blame onto Ralph, highlighting his cowardice and self-preservation.