“It is a pleasant world we live in, sir, a very pleasant world. There are bad people in it”
The juxtaposition of the words ‘pleasant’ and ‘bad’ highlight the truth of the world – where there is good, there will always be a darker force at work too. It is also sad how the word ‘pleasant’ is used to describe the world, when the reader knows this is not the case for Nell and her grandfather who are suffering and living as beggars and there is nothing they can do about it.
“In the Destroyer’s steps there spring up bright creations that defy his power, and his dark path becomes a way of light to Heaven.”
As a reference to Quilp, the ‘Destroyer’, this quote highlights how eventually the good override the evil in the world. Quilp tries his hardest to wreak havoc and is the cause of a lot of the distress in the book, but eventually karma results in his own death.
