Great Expectations Theme of Society and Class

Notions of and obsession with society and class lead the protagonist of Great Expectations into self-destruction and a loss of dignity. In the world of this novel, society is divided among class lines, creating impenetrable barriers between social classes. When characters attempt to break through these barriers, they only find loneliness and loss. Society is both exalted as a productive and efficient means of organizing human chaos and it is revealed to be internally rotten.

1. What is "society" in Great Expectations, and where do we see it/find it?
2. How is "class" defined in the world of this novel, and how are we as readers introduced to the idea of class?
3. What is the social hierarchy of the characters in this novel?
4. Why does Biddy warn Pip against wanting to become a gentleman? Is she right to do so? Is she really jealous of Pip?

Identity is forged through choice more than it is shaped by birth in Dickens's Great Expectations.

Pip fails as a fortunate orphan but ultimately prevails as a self-made man.