I have to admit to being asurprised by Dorothea’s sisiter. She seems almmost cold, or even cruel to suggest that Dorothea (basically) write off Mr. Casaubon. Yes, he had been mean, but Dorothea had loved him (in her way). To be so blunt to Dorothea, all the while with the image of the healthy baby juxtaposed with the recent death seems rather unfeeling towards Dorothea.

B5;C49

I had been willing to somewhat forgive Mr. Casaubon’s severe behavior, but his will (against Will) goes too far; what he did is cruel and vindictive. To think that could even be legal (forbid your widow from marrying a specfic person) is abhorant, but it’s worse morally because of how it could shame Dorothea, especially among such gossip-minded people as live in Middlemarch.

B5;C48

Oh, he died. And he did it in just such a way as to have her carry guilt on top of grief. It’s alost as if he knew this would happen as a means to keep Will away from her.