What happens in Chapter XXXIII of Great Expectations?
Pip runs into Estella in an inn yard, where she tells him she's going to Surrey Richmond—about ten miles away—to live with a lady who will help her enter society. She hands Pip her purse, asking him to cover all expenses, framing their situation as following orders rather than personal choices. A waiter first takes them to a cramped, poorly furnished room, then to a large dining room with a table set for thirty and a cold fire, where an elaborate tea service is eventually brought out—delivering various items in stages but nearly no actual tea. While they wait, Estella reveals that the Pocket relatives have been sending anonymous letters and spreading rumors about Pip to Miss Havisham, but she reassures him that they won’t manage to ruin his reputation. She speaks with unexpected intensity about her upbringing in Miss Havisham's home, where she learned early to see through the manipulations of those around her. Pip kisses her hand and then her cheek, but she remains cool and statue-like. They leave by post-coach through London, passing Newgate Prison—which Pip pretends not to recognize—and discuss Mr. Jaggers. Estella mentions she has known Jaggers since childhood but doesn’t know him well. Pip points out Mr. Matthew Pocket's house in Hammersmith. Upon arriving in Richmond, Estella is welcomed at a formal old house by two maids in cherry-colored uniforms. She wishes Pip good-night and disappears into the house. Pip returns to Hammersmith, feeling more heartbroken, finds Mrs. Pocket in chaos over a baby who has been given a needle-case, and briefly considers confiding in Mr. Pocket but ultimately decides against it.
Analysis
The chapter revolves around a collection of enclosures — the inn yard, the dark sitting room, the spacious dining room, the post-coach, and the old house in Richmond — all of which frame Pip's relationship with Estella as something limited and restricted. The main theme is the lack of freedom: Estella emphasizes, "We are not free to follow our own devices, you and I," and the chapter repeatedly suggests that both characters are controlled by others, depicted as "mere puppets." This puppet imagery introduces an element of helplessness into the romantic tension, which Pip himself recognizes with a bittersweet acknowledgment: "I went on against trust and against hope."
Dickens incorporates humorous scenes — like the waiter's ridiculous journey through rooms and the elaborate non-tea — to ease the emotional burden while also underscoring the chapter's theme of fruitless effort: despite all the effort, little is achieved. The waiter's "magic clue" napkin and the concluding "casket of precious appearance containing twigs" reflect Pip's own deep emotional investment that results in nothing but suffering.
The tone of the chapter shifts sharply when Estella shares her memories of growing up at Miss Havisham's. The writing becomes serious and rhythmically forceful ("I was. You had not… I had."), revealing genuine emotions beneath her typical facade. The portrayal of the Richmond house — with its ancient trees "cut into fashions as formal and unnatural as the hoops and wigs" — continues the chapter's imagery of things shaped against their natural state. The final domestic comedy at the Pockets' deflates the romantic atmosphere and leaves Pip alone with his heartache.
Key quotes from Chapter XXXIII
“We are not free to follow our own devices, you and I.”
Estella says this in the inn yard as she hands Pip her purse and explains that they must both obey their instructions.
“I thought that with her I could have been happy there for life. (I was not at all happy there at the time, observe, and I knew it well.”
Pip reflects on his feelings while sitting with Estella in the cheerless inn dining room.
“knowing that I never was happy with her, but always miserable.”
Pip's final reflection as he stands outside the Richmond house watching Estella disappear inside.
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