Duty and Obligation

The book explores the burdens and hypocrisies of duty, particularly through Mr. Merry's constant complaints about schoolmastering and the characters' ironic comments about the 'sight of duty' making one shiver.

The characters are bound by their roles: Mr. Merry as schoolmaster, Mrs. Merry as long-suffering wife, Miss Basden as dutiful employee; the boys' gift to Mrs. Merry underscores social expectations.

The conversation opens with Herrick and Emily discussing Mr. Merry's sense of duty, and extends to Herrick's own sense of obligation to the school and to his friends.