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Chapter 26
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Pickwick Papers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Male Friendship
Predatory Social Institutions
Social Class and Inequality
Marriage and Courtship
Generosity and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
With two days left before the Pickwickians’ trip to Dingley Dell, Sam finds himself with some free time. He decides to visit his father (Mr. Weller) and stepmother (Mrs. Weller) in Dorking, suddenly feeling guilty for not seeing them sooner. Upon entering the inn where they are staying, Sam sees Mrs. Weller sitting by the fire with none other than Mr. Stiggins, the self-righteous preacher whom his father despises. Mrs. Weller greets Sam coldly, but he deflects her irritation with charm and a cheeky compliment, even giving her a kiss on the cheek, which surprises her.
Here, Dickens continues to develop Sam as a character outside of his role as Pickwick’s servant. Sam’s light-hearted greeting to Mrs. Weller, complete with a cheeky kiss, demonstrates how he relies on charm to navigate awkward relationships, especially when complicated emotions simmer just beneath the surface. Sam does not know his step-mother, nor does he have a good impression of her based on what his father has said. Still, he tries to give her a chance and treat her warmly.
Themes
During tea, Sam learns that Mr. Weller has been resisting Stiggins’s efforts to reform him. The conversation is laced with groans from Stiggins and exaggerated laments from Mrs. Weller, who expresses disappointment in her husband’s refusal to attend chapel. After tea, Stiggins and Mrs. Weller depart, leaving Sam alone. Shortly after, his father arrives and joins Sam. They bond over their shared dislike for Stiggins, who Mr. Weller complains is always borrowing money. Sam’s father describes how Stiggins manipulates the local women, who fundraise to cover his water bill after the water company cut him off for non-payment.
Mr. Weller’s resistance to Stiggins’s religious “reform” isn’t just stubbornness—it speaks to his disdain for hypocrisy. Stiggins represents the kind of self-righteousness that masks selfish intentions, and the fact that he borrows money from Mr. Weller while posing as a moral authority exposes his duplicity. The scene also reflects a critique of performative charity, where the women in the village eagerly support superficial causes while neglecting more pressing needs within their own community.
Themes
As they smoke and drink, Mr. Weller laments how easily the women in the village fall for Stiggins’s manipulative ways. They perform charitable deeds for distant people while ignoring the real needs of their own community. The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Sam prepares to return to London. Before he leaves, Mr. Weller gives Sam a parting piece of wisdom about marriage, saying that being married comes with certain compromises, which is why he tolerates Stiggins’ presence. Sam heads back to London, wondering whether his father his father will find a way to get rid of the meddling preacher.
Mr. Weller’s criticism of the village women’s misplaced charity reflects Dickens’s broader commentary on social responsibility. The contrast between distant philanthropy and local neglect suggests that charity, when motivated by appearances or social pressure, becomes hollow. Mr. Weller’s lament also hints at the frustration felt by those who these misdirected efforts directly affect. That said, he also has his own personal motivations to hate Stiggins, as the man appears to be taking his wife away from him.
Themes
