Social Ostracism and Peer Pressure

Where it surfaces

• The White Feather

  Sheen is publicly shamed and isolated by his peers, illustrating the intense social pressure within the school.

• II: Sheen at Home

  Stanning mocks Sheen for avoiding risky activities and for his friendship with Drummond.

• III: Sheen Receives Visitors and Advice

  Sheen feels pressured to host Linton and Dunstable despite not inviting them, fearing social awkwardness.

• The White Feather

  Sheen is shunned by his peers, hissing in the dormitory and indignation meetings demonstrate the power of social exclusion.

• VI: Albert Redivivus

  Sheen is completely cut dead by the school, treated as invisible, and isolated from all social interaction.

• X: Sheen’s Progress

  Sheen remains largely cut off by peers, with only a few exceptions like Harrington and Bruce, and confides this to Bevan.

• XI: A Small Incident

  The house meeting and intensified cutting of Sheen demonstrate the power of social ostracism and peer pressure.

• XII: Dunstable and Linton Go Up the River

  Dunstable and Linton feel compelled to defy the headmaster's ban to assert their status and avoid being seen as submitting to authority.

• XIV: A Skirmish

  Sheen's continued ostracism by the house and the pressure on Seymour's from other houses.

• Drummond Goes Into Retirement

  Sheen remains isolated from his housemates, not on speaking terms with anyone, and faces a dormitory rebellion.

• Seymour's One Success

  Sheen is cut dead by the house despite his academic success; the house debates whether to let him represent them in fives, showing the depth of his exclusion.