Our Mutual Friend · Chapter
The Golden Dustman Sinks Again explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Boffin meets Mr. Venus at a crossways and they proceed to the Bower, where Silas Wegg confronts Boffin with the discovered will. Wegg demands that the entire Harmon estate be divided into three parts, with Boffin keeping only one, and also insists on charging Boffin a thousand pounds for a Dutch bottle, discharging John Rokesmith, and taking sole custody of the Mounds. Boffin, appearing crushed and helpless, agrees to the terms and is marched to Mr. Venus's shop to see the document.
Themes in this chapter
Wealth and Corruption
The corrupting influence of money is central as Silas Wegg uses the discovered will to extort a large share of the Harmon fortune from Mr. Boffin, revealing greed and moral decay.
Charity and Hypocrisy
Mr. Boffin, who had appeared generous, is now shown as helpless and submissive, while Wegg's righteous indignation masks his own rapacious intentions, highlighting hypocrisy.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Boffin
Appears crestfallen and submissive as Wegg confronts him; he rocks himself on the settle, groans, and eventually gives in to Wegg's extortionate demands.
- Silas Wegg
Takes a threatening and domineering tone with Mr. Boffin, demanding a three-way split of the estate, a thousand-pound charge for a bottle, and the discharge of Rokesmith; he escorts Boffin to Venus's shop.
- Mr. Venus
Accompanies Mr. Boffin to the Bower, has prepared the way for Wegg, and later backs up Boffin; he closes his shop and produces the document when asked.
- John Rokesmith
Mentioned by Wegg as an 'underhanded sneak' who must be discharged; Boffin reveals that Rokesmith is already discharged.
Key passages
“Mr. Boffin’s face was like the face of a thoughtful listener to an intricate communication, and, in trotting along, he occasionally glanced at that companion with the look of a man who was interposing the remark: “You don’t mean it!””
Mr. Boffin looked as if he were intently listening to a complicated story, and sometimes glanced at his stick as though he were saying, 'You can't be serious!'
This description emphasizes Boffin's anxious and distracted state as he heads to meet Wegg.
““I can’t help myself!” cried Mr. Boffin, flouncing on the settle in a forlorn manner, with his hands deep in his pockets, as if his pockets had sunk. “What’s the good of my pretending to stand out, when I can’t help myself? I must give in to the terms.””
Mr. Boffin exclaimed in despair that he had no choice but to accept Wegg's demands, since resistance was futile.
This shows Boffin's apparent surrender to Wegg's blackmail, a key moment in the chapter.