Little Dorrit, Chapter 6 summary
Chapter 6 of 70 · Book 1: Poverty · 18 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 6, a helpless debtor settles with his family in the Marshalsea, where his youngest daughter is born and his confinement stretches beyond twenty years. He takes pride in his standing among prisoners and accepts their money, but a departing plasterer’s gift exposes his wounded pride and need for friendship.
What happens
- A debtor expects quick release, but his tangled affairs defeat investigation, and his wife and children join him in prison.
- Dr. Haggage and Mrs. Bangham attend the birth of his youngest daughter while fellow prisoners offer help.
- The debtor finds relief in confinement; his wife dies when their youngest child is eight, and his son begins running errands.
- The dying turnkey names him Father of the Marshalsea, a title he proudly adopts alongside ceremonies and gifts from departing prisoners.
- He angrily rejects a plasterer’s halfpennies, then accepts them gratefully when the man promises to visit after release.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The promise turns an embarrassing gift into an offer of lasting friendship. The debtor immediately asks for the coins back and says he intends to keep them.
Quick check
What makes the debtor accept the plasterer’s halfpennies after rejecting them?
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