Summary
Arthur is surprised to receive a visit from Little Dorrit at his lodgings late one night. She is accompanied by Maggy and has come to thank him for arranging to pay her brother's debt. She confides that prior to coming to see him she observed her sister and uncle at the theatre where they work; her father thinks she is attending a party. She also explains that she suspects Flintwinch has been following her, and has informed Mrs. Clennam where she lives. Arthur promises to monitor the situation for her. When Amy goes to leave, he expresses concern since he knows the prison will be locked for the night. Amy explains that she will be spending the night at Maggy's home, but instead she and Maggy are forced to roam the London streets all night until the prison gates are unlocked again in the morning.
Back at the Clennam house, Affery overhears Jeremiah and Mrs. Clennam arguing; the former is angry because Mrs. Clennam has not "cleared the name" of her late husband to her son. The argument suggests that Jeremiah strategically chose to be loyal to Mrs. Clennam long ago because he knew she was a stronger personality than her husband. As the conversation continues, Jeremiah asks what Mrs. Clennam intends to do with Little Dorrit, and she denies having any plans. She also clarifies that she does not want to know anything about Little Dorrit's living situation when Jeremiah implies he would be willing to tell her. Affery is increasingly afraid of her husband, and is confused about what is reality and what is her imagination.
One day Arthur sets out to visit the Meagles family, and runs into Daniel Doyce who is also making his way there. As the two men walk, Doyce shares more about his life, impressing Arthur with his ingenuity. However, Doyce has accepted that he lacks practical business sense, and is now seeking a partner to help him. As Doyce and Clennam interact with the Meagles family, Arthur wonders whether or not he should court Pet. He ultimately decides not to pursue her, but is still somewhat uncertain. As the group talks, Tattycoram shares that she has recently met with Miss Wade, who offered to make herself available if Tattycoram ever needed anything. Pet scolds her for not having told anyone that Miss Wade was nearby. Later that night, Arthur also suggests to Mr. Meagles that now that he is no longer working in his family business, he would be interested in working as Doyce's partner.
The next morning, Arthur goes for a walk and encounters a man named Henry Gowan who is making his way to the Meagles household. Arthur takes a dislike to Henry because he suspects the other man is wooing Pet. He learns from Doyce that Henry is a distant relation of the Barnacle family, who has vague ambitions of working as an artist but is not very dedicated to the pursuit. Henry has invited young Clarence Barnacle to join him at the Meagles's house for dinner, and Clarence is dismayed to recognize Arthur as someone who had been making inquiries about the debt belonging to William Dorrit. Later that evening, Doyce confirms to Arthur that Henry hopes to marry Pet; she returns his feelings, but will not disobey her parents, who are hesitant to condone an engagement due to Henry's financial insecurity.
Meanwhile, Little Dorrit has attracted the attention of John Chivery, the son of a member of the prison staff. He has grown up with her and loved her for a long time. His family also seems to believe that by allying himself with the Dorrit family, he would increase his social standing, since Amy's family pretentiously acts as if they occupy a high social position within the limited world of the prison. John humbly hints at his love for Amy, but she tells him not to aspire to her love and to focus on friendship instead, leaving him very disappointed and sad. Later that night, William Dorrit hints to Amy that she should consider leading John Chivery on so that the Dorrits can get special privileges, but Amy is horrified. Mr. Dorrit uncharacteristically breaks down in front of his youngest daughter, grieving over his fate of having spent more than twenty years in prison.
Analysis
The mystery around the Clennam family continues to thicken, and it is clear by now that Little Dorrit is somehow implicated. Affery functions as a kind of witness to the unfolding mystery, but is too intimidated and confused to understand what is happening. Her references to Mrs. Clennam and Jeremiah as "the clever ones" indicate that she does not trust her own intelligence or ability to make sense of what is happening around her. Physical and emotional abuse from Jeremiah also conspires to keep her passive, since she basically becomes unable to distinguish reality from her imagination. On a larger scale, this cruel treatment mirrors what happens to Little Dorrit, who is constantly being told that her accurate impressions are wrong, and that she doesn't know anything about how the world works.
This section also intensifies the sense of pathos around Little Dorrit. The night she and Maggy spend wandering the streets highlights the real vulnerability Little Dorrit experiences as a result of her precarious life. However, it also shows her courage and resourcefulness; in contrast with the pampered Pet Meagles, or even Fanny, Little Dorrit shows strength in taking care of both herself and Maggy. Later, in her conversation with John Chivery, Amy shows both kindness and compassion, but also a strong sense of self. Her life would likely improve if she married John, and certainly it would give her independence from her family. However, for her, marrying someone she doesn't love would be unacceptable. The integrity and sense of self Amy shows in turning down the proposal makes it even more shocking when her father implies it would not be a bad thing for her to encourage John's affections. Like so many other characters in the novel, Mr. Dorrit knows that love and desire can be used to secure income. While Little Dorrit has become brave and resourceful as a result of her difficult life, she remains pure in her ideals, and knows she would only marry if she truly loved her partner.
Some related tensions around choosing a marriage partner emerge in the plotline around Pet Meagles and her suitors. Arthur is torn between rational calculation that he is too old to make a good husband for Pet, and a desire that he tries to deny. Although she is far younger than him, Pet seems to mirror the way Flora was when he first loved her: pretty, playful, and carefree. Arthur's confrontation with the mature version of Flora doesn't seem to have given him any insight into what he might want in a wife, and he still finds himself drawn to girlishness even though he likely needs a more sensible and down-to-earth partner. While intelligent and highly observant, Arthur shows that he can also lack self-awareness since he refuses to acknowledge how much his reaction to Henry Gowan is influenced by jealousy. On the other hand, Henry is undeniably narcissistic, selfish and indulgent. Mr. and Mrs. Meagles are likely correct to object to the marriage, but they are torn in trying to be supportive of their daughter. Unlike Mr. Dorrit, who thinks only of himself, the Meagleses risk harming their daughter by being overly indulgent and not protecting her from a man they are rightly suspicious of.
