David Copperfield, Chapter 37 summary

What happens

1. David settles into a household improved by his aunt, who overcomes Mrs. Crupp’s resistance.
2. Peggotty leaves to help Ham, offers David financial support, and asks him to remember her brother.
3. At Miss Mills’s house, David reveals his poverty to Dora and reassures her of his love.
4. Dora becomes distressed when David proposes household accounts and a cookbook, and Julia Mills intervenes.
5. Julia agrees to keep the cookbook and encourage Dora if an opportunity arises, though she doubts success.
6. Dora objects to David’s early working hours, and he remains loving but anxious about their practical difficulties.

In this chapter

What to notice

Dora directly identifies the source of her distress. Her reaction exposes the gap between David’s practical enthusiasm and her desire to avoid troubling responsibilities.

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