Our Mutual Friend, Book 3: A Long Lane, Chapter 5 summary
Book 3: A Long Lane, Chapter 5 of 68 · 24 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 5, Mr Boffin humiliates Rokesmith, collects accounts of misers, and cuts expenses while Bella Wilfer watches his growing suspicion with unease. Bella also confides in Mrs Lammle despite distrusting her, exposing herself to possible exploitation and finding her own pursuit of wealth increasingly hard to defend.
What happens
- Mr Boffin sets Rokesmith’s pay at two hundred a year and demands control over his time, disturbing Bella and Mrs Boffin.
- He praises Bella’s pursuit of wealth, but hearing her own principles from him makes her uncomfortable.
- Bella helps him buy books about misers and keeps his collecting secret as his spending becomes more restricted.
- Mrs Lammle flatters Bella, introduces wealthy suitors, and learns about her promised provision and Rokesmith’s rejected declaration.
- Bella studies Rokesmith’s controlled expression and questions both his submission and her own willingness to exchange character for money.
- Mr Boffin orders Rokesmith to move into the house, while Mrs Boffin grieves and insists on her husband’s goodness.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Bella turns her criticism of Rokesmith’s submission against herself. Her imagined willingness to sell her own nature exposes the conflict beneath her pursuit of wealth.
Quick check
Why does Mr Boffin order Rokesmith to move into his house?
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