Our Mutual Friend Drugs and Alcohol Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

[He] went out with two objects; firstly, to establish a claim he conceived himself to have upon any licensed victualler living, to be supplied with threepennyworth of rum for nothing. (18.9.39)

Jenny Wren's father doesn't just love liquor. He feels downright entitled to it. That's why he tends to wander the streets all day asking for booze money, even though he has a job where he could earn this money if he wanted.

Quote #8

This market of Covent Garden was quite out of the creature's line of road, but it had the attraction for him which it has for the worst of the solitary members of the drunken tribe. (18.9.40)

Jenny's father has a particular area where he likes to do his drinking, because this area seems like it was designed for men like himself—dudes who like to drink alone until they barely know where they are. He even considers himself to be part of a special "tribe" of drinkers who go to this area.

Quote #9

Of dozing women-drunkards especially, you shall come upon such specimens here. (18.9.40)

Most of this book only mentions male examples of alcoholism. But this line reminds us that there were plenty of female drunks in Dickens' time as well. The book doesn't tell us anything more about these women, though, like where they come from or what first drove them to alcohol.