Dickens is careful to tie up his details, such as the threat of the young man who eats boys’ livers. By having Pip discover the second convict and then remind the first one to leave enough food for the young man, Dickens introduces the conflict between the two convicts. The problem of the second convict is foreshadowed even before Pip finds him, when the guns go off the night before, announcing the second escape from the ships.
Humor and satire are important tools in these chapters, as well. Pip, for example, always calls his parents by the only names he knows: “Philip Pirrip, late of this parish” and “also Georgiana, wife of the above.” His deceased brothers are described as “the five little stone lozenges.” Even Pip’s politeness to the convict, requesting to be held right-side up and expressing delight that the convict enjoys the stolen food, are funny. A bit of satire shows up when the stick used to beat Pip is referred to as the “Tickler.”
