The name Catherine is mentioned for the first time. This name refers to the older Catherine (referred to as Catherine in this Note. Her daughter is also named Catherine and is referred to as Cathy in this Note). The three last names associated with it, in chronological order, mention the primary associations in Catherine Earnshaw's life. Maintaining symmetry in the text, when read in reverse order, they chronicle the life of Cathy.
In the diary entry about Hindley's treatment of Heathcliff, readers gain the first bit of insight into the enigmatic main character. Perhaps he is the product of his environment, rebelling against his tormentors. From Catherine's perspective, Hindley is far worse a person than Heathcliff could ever be. Throughout the novel, the primary characters, particularly Heathcliff and Catherine, tend to demonstrate two sides, and these revelations make it extremely difficult for readers to maintain a constant vision of them. In the first two chapters, Heathcliff seems to care about no one, yet, at the end of Chapter 3, he is clearly tormented about the loss of Catherine. Clearly, the man who is initially presented as cold and heartless has the ability to also be quite passionate.
An important question is determining the source of Heathcliff's passion — is it Catherine or the act of revenge? Brontë introduces the supernatural in this chapter, and readers need to determine if the ghost of Catherine has truly been walking the world 18 years, waiting for Heathcliff, or if she is an incredibly vivid product of Lockwood's imagination.
Lockwood's interaction with the ghost/dream is also quite revealing. Although many characters are said to be cruel to one another throughout Wuthering Heights, what he does, pulling the wrist on broken glass and "rub[bing] it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bed-clothes," is as cruel an action to another as any other character in the text. Lockwood's interaction with Catherine's spirit moves him from being an outside observer to an active participant in the plot.
