A call to strike back after an unprovoked attack appears, urging a hard response to teach the aggressor a lesson. Bronte also reflects that even if the world condemns you, a clear conscience can keep you from feeling alone. She likens poverty to degradation, suggesting material lack erodes dignity.
![“It does good to no woman to be flattered [by a man] who does not intend to marry her; and it is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it; and, if discovered and responded to, must lead, ignis-fatuus-like…” quote by Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/8d9/charlotte-bronte-144_doe_it-does-good-to-no-woman-to-be-flattered_2594489.jpg)
