## Characters
**Catherine Earnshaw Linton** (young Catherine)
- Present throughout the chapter
- 18 years old
- Has eyes "precisely similar" to those of Catherine Earnshaw (the elder), plus "a breadth of forehead, and a certain arch of the nostril that makes her appear rather haughty"
- Shows playful, teasing behavior (putting primroses in Hareton's porridge)
- Demonstrates both defiance and nervousness toward Heathcliff
- Claims friendship with Hareton and challenges Heathcliff about taking "all my land" and "my money"
- Shows growth in understanding Hareton's loyalty to Heathcliff by chapter's end
- Described as Heathcliff's daughter-in-law
**Hareton Earnshaw**
- Present throughout the chapter
- 23 years old
- Has eyes "precisely similar" to those of Catherine Earnshaw and resembles her even more than young Catherine does
- Initially speechless and deferential, later shows protective instincts toward Catherine
- Performs garden work, removes currant and gooseberry bushes at Catherine's request
- Demonstrates fierce loyalty to Heathcliff despite Catherine's attempts to turn him against his master
- Serves as Catherine's teacher in their friendship
- Shows "honest, warm, and intelligent nature" emerging from "clouds of ignorance and degradation"
**Mr. Heathcliff**
- Present for most scenes, briefly absent in afternoon
- Master of the house
- Shows violent rage toward Catherine, nearly striking her but stopping himself
- Experiences strange psychological state - feels detached from life, has to "remind myself to breathe"
- Sees resemblances to the elder Catherine Earnshaw everywhere
- Claims to be losing interest in revenge despite having the power to execute it
- Refers to Catherine as his daughter-in-law
**Ellen "Nelly" Dean** (narrator)
- Present throughout, serves as housekeeper
- "Held the mistress's post in making tea and carving" at meals
- Observes and worries about the developing friendship between Catherine and Hareton
- Serves as Heathcliff's confidant in his final monologue
**Joseph**
- Appears mid-chapter in great distress
- Has worked at Wuthering Heights for sixty years
- Furious about destruction of his prized black-currant trees
- Speaks in heavy dialect, threatens to leave his position
- Blames Catherine for bewitching Hareton
**Catherine Earnshaw** (elder, deceased)
- Mentioned extensively in Heathcliff's final monologue
- Her physical features (especially eyes) are shared by both young Catherine and Hareton
- Heathcliff sees her image everywhere: "In every cloud, in every tree—filling the air at night"
## Timeline & Events
**Morning after Monday:** Catherine and Hareton work in garden before breakfast, clearing space and planning to import plants from Thrushcross Grange. They destroy Joseph's prized currant bushes.
**Breakfast time:** The household gathers for the meal. Catherine teases Hareton by putting primroses in his porridge, causing him to nearly laugh. Heathcliff notices and threatens Catherine, warning her not to remind him of her existence.
**During breakfast:** Joseph arrives, discovers the garden destruction, and demands his wages to leave after sixty years of service. He blames Catherine for bewitching Hareton.
**After breakfast confrontation:** Catherine admits responsibility for the garden work and defiantly challenges Heathcliff about taking her land and money. She threatens that Hareton will protect her. Heathcliff becomes violent, grabbing her hair, but suddenly stops and releases her, warning her to stay away from him.
**Afternoon:** Heathcliff leaves the house until evening. Catherine and Hareton establish themselves as friends, with Hareton serving as her teacher. Hareton refuses to let Catherine speak against Heathcliff.
**Evening:** Heathcliff returns unexpectedly to find the three by the fire—Catherine and Hareton studying together while Nelly watches. After dismissing the young people, Heathcliff confides in Nelly about his strange psychological state.
## Key Facts
- Joseph has worked at Wuthering Heights for sixty years
- The black-currant trees were "the apple of Joseph's eye"
- Catherine and Hareton plan to import plants from Thrushcross Grange
- The household always eats meals together with Heathcliff
- Nelly holds "the mistress's post" in serving tea and carving
- Heathcliff owns both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange properties
- Young Catherine is Heathcliff's daughter-in-law
- The fire-light reveals that Catherine and Hareton have similar features to the elder Catherine Earnshaw
## Ages, Dates & Arithmetic
- **Hareton Earnshaw:** 23 years old
- **Catherine Earnshaw Linton:** 18 years old
- **Joseph:** Has worked at Wuthering Heights for 60 years
- **Time reference:** "the morrow of that Monday" - events occur on Tuesday
- **Physical maturity note:** Despite their ages (23 and 18), both Catherine and Hareton are described as having "so much of novelty to feel and learn, that neither experienced nor evinced the sentiments of sober disenchanted maturity"
## Unexplained Changes
- **Catherine's boldness:** She shows remarkable courage in directly confronting and defying Heathcliff, a significant escalation from previous fearful interactions
- **Hareton's education:** He's now literate enough to be reading books and teaching Catherine, showing dramatic improvement from his previous ignorant state
- **Hareton's refined appearance:** Nelly notes his "brightening mind brightened his features, and added spirit and nobility to their aspect" - a marked physical transformation
## Plot Developments
**New threads introduced:**
- Catherine and Hareton's friendship/romance develops openly
- Heathcliff's psychological deterioration becomes explicit
- The question of what "strange change" Heathcliff senses approaching
**Existing threads advanced:**
- The education/refinement of Hareton continues
- Catherine's defiance of Heathcliff reaches a new peak
- Joseph's long-threatened departure becomes imminent
**Threads complicated:**
- Heathcliff's reaction to seeing resemblances to the elder Catherine in both young people
- The challenge of Catherine and Hareton's relationship existing under Heathcliff's roof
## Foreshadowing & Setups
- **Heathcliff's mysterious "change":** He speaks of "a strange change approaching; I'm in its shadow at present" and claims his "single wish" will soon be fulfilled
- **Loss of revenge motivation:** Heathcliff admits "I have lost the faculty of enjoying their destruction" despite having full power to execute his revenge
- **Physical and mental deterioration:** He must "remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat"
- **The resemblance motif:** The emphasis on how both Catherine and Hareton resemble the elder Catherine, particularly their eyes being "precisely similar"
- **Heathcliff's violence stopping suddenly:** His abrupt release of Catherine's hair and moment of collecting himself suggests some internal struggle
**Key quote on Heathcliff's state:** "My confessions have not relieved me; but they may account for some otherwise unaccountable phases of humour which I show. O God! It is a long fight; I wish it were over!"
The chapter establishes the romantic partnership between Catherine and Hareton while revealing Heathcliff's psychological unraveling, setting up what appears to be the climactic resolution of his long-held obsessions.