After his wife dies, Hindley starts a disintegration from which he never recovers. Avoiding his son and becoming a tyrannical drunkard, Hindley's demise serves as an eerie precursor to Heathcliff's own downfall. Heathcliff takes pleasure witnessing Hindley's self-destruction.
In addition to showing Heathcliff's delight in the downfall of others, this chapter, perhaps more than any other, reveals Nelly's genuine dislike of Catherine. She admits "I own I did not like her after her infancy was past" and claims she is "as bad as marred [spoiled] child." This admission immediately draws suspicion on her reliability. Clearly, at this point in time, she favors Heathcliff to Catherine, although this does not always remain constant.
A connection between love and cruelty surfaces in this chapter and is repeated constantly and consistently throughout Wuthering Heights. Those characters — especially Heathcliff — who exhibit the strongest love (that is, those who are most passionate) also tend to be the cruelest. Brontë explores this interconnection through the various types of relationships that she creates in Wuthering Heights.
