Class and Wealth

The setting of Whistlefield and the Shandon family's wealth underpin the story, with motives like money and inheritance driving the plot, and characters like Hackleton representing ruthless financial ambition.

The Shandon brothers' contrasting fortunes and Ernest's parasitic lifestyle highlight class and wealth dynamics.

Stenness's loss of capital and his reluctance to live on his wife's money underscore class and economic anxieties.