Continuing the development of Carton's character, Dickens establishes Carton's failure to live up to his professional potential by comparing him with Stryver. Although the two men went through school together and have shared similar professional opportunities, Carton remains the jackal (researcher and assistant) to Stryver's lion (prominent lawyer). Carton is undoubtedly more intelligent than Stryver, but he lacks the ambition and resolve that make Stryver a success. Stryver notes that Carton seems out of sorts that evening, and indeed, the events of the trial have obviously stirred up feelings of dissatisfaction in Carton.
As he makes his way home, the setting reflects Carton's feelings of emptiness and unhappiness: "the air was cold and sad, the dull sky overcast, the river dark and dim, the whole scene like a lifeless desert."When he imagines "a mirage of honorable ambition, self-denial, and perseverance"in which love, life, and hope are all possibilities, Carton reveals his awareness of his wasted potential. His bitterness toward Darnay and his shortness with Stryver reflect the feelings of regret that have arisen in him upon seeing the one person he knows could redeem him — Lucie Manette — and knowing that his choices have put her forever out of his reach.
