## Characters
**Mr. Lockwood** (narrator)
- Role: Present throughout chapter as visitor to Wuthering Heights
- Physical details: None mentioned
- Personality: Observant, somewhat awkward socially, prone to romantic fantasizing
- Key actions: Delivers note from Mrs. Dean to Catherine, attempts to mediate between Catherine and Hareton, announces his intention to leave for London and give up Thrushcross Grange
- Relationships: Tenant at Thrushcross Grange under Heathcliff, acquaintance of Mrs. Dean
**Hareton Earnshaw**
- Role: Present throughout, working in garden when Lockwood arrives
- Physical details: "as handsome a rustic as need be seen" but "does his best apparently to make the least of his advantages"
- Personality: Surly, sensitive about his lack of education, struggles with conflicting emotions toward Catherine
- Key actions: Lets Lockwood in, initially confiscates Mrs. Dean's letter, gives it back to Catherine, attempts to learn reading, burns his books after Catherine mocks him, physically strikes Catherine
- Relationships: Catherine's cousin, under Heathcliff's authority
- Secret literary collection revealed: has "Latin and Greek, and some tales and poetry: all old friends"
**Catherine Heathcliff** (young Catherine, daughter-in-law)
- Role: Present in main room, preparing vegetables
- Physical details: "a beauty" with "pretty head," has damaged lip after Hareton strikes her
- Personality: Sulky, less spirited than before, cruel in mocking Hareton's educational attempts, nostalgic for her former home
- Key actions: Carves turnip figures, reads Mrs. Dean's letter, mocks Hareton's reading attempts, refuses his books after he throws them at her
- Relationships: Heathcliff's daughter-in-law, Hareton's cousin, formerly at Thrushcross Grange
- Mentions her horse "Minny" from her former home
**Mr. Heathcliff**
- Role: Arrives near end of chapter, absent during most events
- Physical details: "looked sparer in person," has "restless, anxious expression...never remarked there before"
- Personality: Controlling, businesslike about rent, somewhat melancholy
- Key actions: Encounters upset Hareton, speaks privately about seeing resemblances in Hareton's face, sends Catherine to kitchen during dinner
- Relationships: Master of Wuthering Heights, Catherine's father-in-law, Lockwood's landlord
- Notable quote: "But when I look for his father in his face, I find _her_ every day more! How the devil is he so like? I can hardly bear to see him."
**Mrs. Dean (Ellen)**
- Role: Mentioned only, not present
- Key actions: Sent note to Catherine via Lockwood
- Relationships: Housekeeper at Thrushcross Grange, former caretaker to Catherine
**Joseph**
- Role: Mentioned only
- Details: Has "store of theology" books
- Relationships: Servant at Wuthering Heights
## Timeline & Events
**Yesterday** - bright, calm, and frosty day
- **11 o'clock** - Lockwood arrives at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff absent but expected at dinner-time
- Lockwood delivers Mrs. Dean's note to Catherine
- Catherine reveals Heathcliff destroyed her books, mentions finding Hareton's secret book collection
- Catherine mocks Hareton's reading attempts, particularly his performance of "Chevy Chase" from "yesterday"
- Hareton throws books at Catherine, she refuses them
- Catherine continues mocking Hareton's reading
- Hareton strikes Catherine and burns his books
- Heathcliff arrives, encounters upset Hareton leaving
- Heathcliff and Lockwood have dinner (Catherine sent to kitchen)
- Lockwood departs, announces plans to leave for London next week
## Key Facts
- The front door at Wuthering Heights stood open, but the "jealous gate was fastened"
- Catherine has no writing materials, "not even a book from which I might tear a leaf"
- Heathcliff destroyed Catherine's books - she hasn't "had a glimpse of one for weeks"
- Hareton has a secret collection of books: "Latin and Greek, and some tales and poetry"
- Catherine can recite "Chevy Chase" and knows it was performed yesterday
- Hareton uses a dictionary to look up hard words
- Lockwood rented Thrushcross Grange for twelve months
- Catherine's former horse was named "Minny"
- Heathcliff never reads
## Ages, Dates & Arithmetic
- Lockwood mentions "twelve months I agreed to rent" Thrushcross Grange
- References to Hareton becoming "a clever scholar in a few years"
- No specific ages or dates given in this chapter
## Unexplained Changes
- Catherine appears "more sulky and less spirited than when I had seen her first"
- Heathcliff looks "sparer in person" with a "restless, anxious expression" never seen before
- Significant deterioration in Catherine's circumstances (no books, confined lifestyle)
## Plot Developments
**New threads introduced:**
- Lockwood's decision to leave and give up his lease
- Revelation of Hareton's secret education efforts and book collection
**Existing threads advanced:**
- Catherine's isolation and misery at Wuthering Heights deepens
- Hareton's attempts at self-improvement meet with Catherine's cruelty
- Growing tension between Catherine and Hareton
**Threads complicated:**
- Catherine's mockery destroys Hareton's educational motivation
- Heathcliff's emotional state appears increasingly troubled
## Foreshadowing & Setups
- Heathcliff's comment about seeing "her" more in Hareton's face daily and barely being able to bear it suggests deeper psychological torment
- His muttered "It will be odd if I thwart myself" hints at internal conflict about his treatment of the young people
- The destruction of Hareton's books represents a potential turning point in the relationship dynamics
- Lockwood's planned departure suggests the story may be drawing toward resolution
- Catherine's refusal of Hareton's books after his gesture ("I shall connect them with you, and hate them") deepens their antagonism
The chapter emphasizes the toxic educational and social dynamics at Wuthering Heights, with Catherine's cruel treatment of Hareton's learning efforts and Heathcliff's increasingly troubled state suggesting the revenge cycle may be reaching a crisis point.