Mrs. Pocket believes herself to be of upper-class lineage and spends most of her time reading books about titles and nobility. The entire household is in the hands of the servants, who take advantage of the confusion by keeping the best food downstairs for themselves. The Pockets married young, which impaired Mr. Pocket's prospects at Cambridge where he had distinguished himself early in his life. He now works tutoring young men and doing some literary editing. The other two men studying with Mr. Pocket are Bentley Drummle and Startop. Dinner reveals the interactions in the household, which is general chaos, and Pip decides to split his time between the Pockets' Hammersmith home and Herbert's flat. Pip takes up rowing on the Thames with the other gentlemen in the house. He finds Startop to be a bright lively fellow, if a bit effeminate, and Drummle to be rather distasteful. Miss Havisham's toady relatives, Camilla Pocket and her husband, visit Matthew Pocket, and Pip notes that Camilla, Georgiana, and Sarah hate him. Mr. Pocket tells Pip that he is not destined for training in any profession, but is to be educated to hold his own in the company of prosperous young men.
A visit to Jaggers' office for money introduces Pip to Jaggers' way of dealing with people. Wemmick tells Pip that the two plaster face casts in the office are of former clients of Jaggers, made after they were hanged. Wemmick points out that his rings are gifts from former clients, also deceased, who gave them to Wemmick to remember them by. He considers them "portable property." Pip is invited to join Wemmick at his Walworth home some time and is advised to take note of Jaggers' housekeeper when Pip dines with the attorney. The housekeeper is described as "a wild beast tamed." Pip then accompanies Wemmick to court to see Jaggers "at it," intimidating both court magistrates and clients and "grinding the whole place in a mill."
