LXXXII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Money and Social Class

  Ernest's new wealth transforms his appearance and status, provoking his father's resentment and altering family dynamics.

• Parental Tyranny and Filial Rebellion

  Ernest defies his father's control over his life and finances, while Theobald struggles to maintain authority.

• Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality

  Theobald's concern for propriety and money masks his lack of genuine affection, and Christina's sentimental pleas contrast with past neglect.

Characters to notice

• Ernest Pontifex

  Returns to Battersby after inheriting £70,000; reconciles with his dying mother and stands up to his father.

• Theobald Pontifex

  Angry and jealous upon seeing Ernest's prosperity; reluctantly accepts his son's return.

• Christina Pontifex

  On her deathbed, expresses deep love and longing for Ernest; reconciles with him.

• Alethea Pontifex

  Mentioned as the source of Ernest's inherited fortune.

• Mr. Overton

  Narrator and trustee who handed over Alethea's money to Ernest.

Key passages

• “It almost seemed as though our casual mention of Theobald and Christina had in some way excited them from a dormant to an active state.”

  The narrator's earlier reference to Theobald and Christina appears to have stirred them into action.

  Sets up the chapter's return to the Pontifex parents.

• “He could afford to smile now at his father's offering to pay for his clothes, and his sending him a Post Office order for the exact price of a second-class ticket.”

  Ernest found his father's stingy offer of money for clothes and a second-class ticket amusing now that he was wealthy.

  Highlights the shift in power due to Ernest's inheritance.

• “I will take the will for the deed”

  I will accept your intention as if you had actually done it.

  Christina's forgiveness of Ernest's absence.