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Book 3, Chapter 9
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
Eugene tries to persuade Jenny to make a set of doll’s clothes for him to give to his goddaughter, but she refuses. Eugene also tries to find out from Jenny where Lizzie is living, but Jenny refuses to tell him that too. Jenny’s father, the heavy drinker, comes back, and Jenny scolds him as usual. Eugene leaves to find Mortimer.
Eugene’s questions for Jenny about making a doll seem to be a pretext for him to see Lizzie. Although he is not as aggressive as Headstone, he also struggles with giving Lizzie space to make her own decisions. The fact that Jenny’s father continues to drink and be irresponsible with money shows how his addiction forces Jenny to grow up before she’s ready to do so.
Themes
Mortimer tells Eugene that he recently had a meeting with a Jewish man named Riah. Eugene is suspicious of him, believing Riah had something to do with hiding Lizzie. To Eugene’s surprise, Jenny’s father followed him to his law office. Not knowing his name, Eugene calls the drunk man “Mr. Dolls.” He believes that he might be able to get some useful information out of Mr. Dolls if he offers him a drink.
Jenny’s father, who is never named, becomes “Mr. Dolls” because Jenny is always working on clothes for dolls. In many ways, Mr. Dolls is himself a doll, as he's manipulated by his need for alcohol, which leaves him with little agency. Eugene’s willingness to bribe Mr. Dolls with alcohol—which would clearly be unhealthy to him—implies again that Eugene is a little too obsessed with finding Lizzie.
Themes
Eugene promises Mr. Dolls some money to buy rum and starts prying about Lizzie’s location. Mr. Dolls claims he can find it out, based on letters that Jenny exchanges will Lizzie, but doesn’t currently know it. Eventually, he leaves. Mortimer doesn’t like getting involved with Mr. Dolls, but Eugene feels that it’s the only option he has. Eugene changes the subject to mention Headstone, who hates Eugene and might even be spying on him. Although Eugene is confident that he can outsmart Headstone, Mortimer can’t stop thinking about him and the danger he could pose.
Although Eugene sees Headstone as pathetic, Eugene’s own methods are beginning to resemble his rival’s. While Headstone stalks Eugene to try to find Lizzie, Eugene considers the morally questionable decision to bribe Mr. Dolls with alcohol to find Lizzie against her will. Eugene’s confidence that he’ll always be able to outsmart Headstone mirrors Headstone’s own immense self-confidence, potentially setting Eugene up for a rude awakening.
Themes
