Of particular importance in this chapter is Heathcliff's declaration and explanation of his love for Catherine. Heathcliff tells Nelly, "For every thought she [Catherine] spends on Linton, she spends a thousand on me . . . If he [Edgar] loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn't love as much in eighty years as I could in a day." The passion and commitment Heathcliff reveals frightens Nelly and is partially the reason he is able to persuade her to carry a letter to Catherine.
As Heathcliff discusses his relationship to both Catherine and Isabella, he appears to be true to himself: He recognizes that he is brutal and cruel. He is, however, also intelligent and manipulative, which is how he is able to con Nelly into agreeing to do his bidding.
