Becky's friendship with Lady Jane is such that ". . . these two ladies did not see much of each other except upon those occasions when the younger brother's wife, having an object to gain from the other, frequented her. They my-loved and my-deared each other assiduously, but kept apart generally . . ."
In ironical comments on society and life in general, Thackeray lets the reader know that even those in modest circumstances love their children. Dobbin writes his mother ". . . who was fond of him, although she was a grocer's wife and lived in a back parlour in Thames St."
Captain Dobbin makes conversation ". . . like a consummate man of the world . . . some topic of general interest such as the opera . . . or the weather — that blessing to society."
Gossips have not changed since Vanity Fair — "The tartwoman hints to somebody, who took an affidavit of the fact to somebody else, that there was a great deal more than was made public regarding Mr. Crisp and Miss Sharp . . ."
Of deaths and funerals, Thackery comments, "Could the best and kindest of us who depart from the earth, have an opportunity of revisiting it, I suppose he or she . . . would have a pang of mortification at finding how soon our survivors were consoled . . ."
Of weddings, he says, "After three or four ceremonies, you get accustomed to it, no doubt; but the first dip, everybody allows, is awful." And of the fighting in Belgium, he says, "For a long period of history they have let other people fight there."
Thackeray's characterizations are often ironic. The rich Miss Crawley says of herself, Rebecca, and Rawdon: "'We're the only three Christians in the county my love,' in which case it must be confessed that religion was at a very low ebb in the county of Hants." George broke up Becky's marriage to Joseph and "she loved George Osborne accordingly." Miss Crawley "showed her friendship by abusing all her intimate acquaintances to her new confidante (than which there can't be a more touching proof of regard)."
