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Book 2, Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Our Mutual Friend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Society, Class, and Character
Greed and Corruption
Marriage, Adoption, and Family
Education vs. Real-World Experience
Misfits and Outcasts
Summary
Analysis
John knows that if he becomes John Harmon again, the Boffins will lose their property and Bella will be forced to marry him. Still, he regrets that an innocent man (Gaffer) was blamed for his murder. When John returns to his lodging at the Wilfer home after getting back from Limehouse Hole, he runs into Mr. Wilfer. Mr. Wilfer mentions to John how even after John’s death, Bella hasn’t gone back to George Sampson, as she now wants to find a rich man to marry. This conversation depresses John.
The more time John spends as Rokesmith, the more he gets used to living a lie. Initially, he only wanted to assume a new identity temporarily to get a look at Bella. Now, he finds himself increasingly drawn into his fake identity. Part of the reason for this is because John is afraid of the effect wealth has on people—he can see for himself how it is making Bella shallower.
Themes
John heads over to the Boffin mansion for his secretary work and runs into Betty. Betty surprises John by saying that she has just come up with a plan to run away from Sloppy. She thinks Sloppy is too attached to her and it would be for his own good to give her up—and if he won’t do that, then she’ll be the one to leave. She believes that although she’s old, she’s stronger than Sloppy realizes. Later, when John sees Henerietty, he recommends that no one should stop Betty in her attempt to run away.
Like the Boffins, Betty is a well-intentioned character who sometimes has eccentric ideas. Her solution of going away in order to allow Sloppy to live a better life is in many a parallel to John’s own decision to keep his identity hidden so as not to disrupt the Boffins or Bella.
Themes
Henerietty and John (as Rokesmith) discuss what to do after the Boffins take in Sloppy. They decide the most important thing will be to get him an education. That evening, Henerietty and John go to see Headstone about Sloppy. Headstone asks how John heard about him; John says it was from Mortimer. Headstone is just glad it wasn’t Eugene, whom he hates.
This passage emphasizes again the role that education plays in helping a person achieve social mobility. Although education isn’t always necessary (Boffin, for example, advanced but remains illiterate), it is one of the intangible things aside from money that separates people of different classes in the city.
Themes
John asks Headstone if Lizzie has suffered at all from the accusation that Gaffer killed John. Headstone doesn’t think so. They leave, and John gets busy setting plans for Sloppy’s education into motion. Betty writes a letter for Sloppy and assure John/Rokesmith that she intends to carry out her plan to run away. She walks away from the house looking determined.
John’s interest in Sloppy, whom he barely knows, shows his altruistic nature. While the Boffins think that they are helping Sloppy as a tribute to the dead John, they don’t realize that they are actually doing something that the still-very-much-alive John approves of. Betty’s decision to run away is another example of an altruistic sacrifice.
Themes
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