“is it likely he (Mr. Rochester) would waste a serious thought on this indigent and insignificant plebeian?” (Bronte: 191). Having no money or a house of her own, she considers herself inferior and unlikely that Mr. Rochester, being a man of power and class, would ever lay eyes on her. When Jane leaves Thornfield after she finds out that Mr. Rochester is married, she decides that it’s better to be a schoolmistress, honest and free, than to stay and become a slave full of remorse and shame. She loves Mr. Rochester deeply but is willing to sacrifice her love for her own righteous beliefs. Even a man powerful enough like M. Rochester with all the luxuries, can’t convince a plain, simple girl like Jane to stay with him. As she heads out into the world, alone and without any money, she knows that there are many things other than money that a person relies on, mainly education.Bronte further explores the benefits of education towards a moral character when she creates contrasts between the Rivers and the Reeds. While John Reed goes to waste and Georgiana Reed lives a completely worthless life as a showpiece to the rich, the Rivers spend their leisure time reading and learning. When both families end up lacking money, they also handled the lost differently. John Reed wastes his mother’s money and Georgiana Reed marries for money. On the other hand Diana and Mary Rivers become independent and find jobs. It is clear that Bronte is trying to emphasize that having wealth is not everything. Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester, and Mr. Brocklehurst share wealth in common but they also seem to share the unhappiness. Mrs. Reed is full of hatred, Mr. Brocklehurst hides his villainous motives behind the word of God, and finally Mr. Rochester is just a powerful unhappy men who life has treated unkindly but cannot find happiness even with all his riches. Mr. Rochester does develop in the novel though and becomes a truly hap...
