How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
We have no secrets now from one another. (2.5)
Mrs. de Winter is referring to her present life with Maxim, an unspecified number of years after the events at Manderley that make up the bulk of the story. Given what you know about Maxim and Mrs. de Winter's history of secrets, do you think this is true? Notice also that in practically the same thought, Mrs. de Winter lets us know she won't tell Maxim about her dream of Manderley. Hmm.
Quote #2
"'You've never seen me here, and you won't again. If I catch you looking at me through the windows here I'll have you put to the asylum,' she said. 'You wouldn't like that would you? They're cruel to people in the asylum,' she said. 'I won't say nothing, M'am,' I said." (13.48)
Wow. Ben is suddenly very articulate. Ben claims that Rebecca threatened him, but Mrs. de Winter doesn't put this together until later. All things considered, the possibility exists that Ben also witnessed Rebecca's murder, or some phase of it. His dislike for Rebecca provides a good motive for his possible participation in the cover-up of her murder.
Quote #3
"By the way," [Favell] said carelessly, "it would be very sporting and grand of you if you did not mention this little visit of mine to Max? He doesn't exactly approve of me, I'm afraid; I don't know why, and it might get poor old Danny into trouble." (13.111)
Mrs. de Winter does keep Favell's secret. Frank is the one who rats him out, but Mrs. Danvers assumes that Mrs. de Winter is to blame. This probably inspires her nasty trick with the Caroline de Winter costume.
Quote #4
"All the pictures in the gallery would make good costumes," said Mrs. Danvers, "especially that one of the young lady in white, with her hat in her hand." (16.75)
Notice how slyly Mrs. Danvers operates, how practiced she is in deceit. In this scene, Mrs. Danvers even asks Mrs. de Winter if Maxim has suggested a costume for her, giving her the perfect opportunity to remember Maxim's Alice-in-Wonderland suggestion. But she thinks Maxim is joking, and she wants to prove she's an adult, with an adult costume.
Quote #5
If he had no more tenderness for me, never kissed me again, did not speak to me except on matters of necessity, I believed I could bear it if I were certain that nobody knew of this but our two selves. (18.4)
This is a common thread throughout Rebecca. It's preferable to Maxim, to Mrs. de Winter, and possibly to Rebecca to present the false front of a successful marriage than to admit that a marriage is a failure.
Quote #6
"Mr. de Winter doesn't love you. There's not much for you to live for, is there? Why don't you jump now and have done with it? Then you won't be unhappy any more." (18.142)
Mrs. Danvers is telling the truth as she sees it. She has no idea Maxim killed Rebecca. The old housekeeper truly believes he's in mourning and that he feels the same way about Rebecca that she does. Mrs. de Winter believes the lies because they are very close to the way she herself sees the truth at this time.
Quote #7
"You don't love me," he said, "that's why you did not feel anything. I know. I understand. It's come too late for you, hasn't it?" (20.6)
Maxim sounds like a phony here, as Holden Caulfield would say. He knows full well that Mrs. de Winter is super in love with him, that she's been feeling unloved, and is therefore totally primed to love him even though he's a murderer. Then again, Maxim might actually feel monstrous and unlovable at this moment. What do you think?
Quote #8
"You were so aloof," he said, "always wandering into the garden with Jasper, going off on your own. You never came to me like this." (20.26)
This – Maxim's excuse for not confessing to Mrs. de Winter sooner – sounds a little bogus, too. It seems to us that she's aloof from Maxim because he's always pushing her away, hiding things, and retreating inward. Maybe he didn't tell her before because he didn't have to.
Quote #9
"We never loved each other, never had one moment of happiness together." (20.30)
Do you think it's true that Maxim and Rebecca never loved each other? What evidence do you have for your answer?
Quote #10
I thought of all the things they could say, if they knew the truth. Not one column, but five or six. Placards in London. Newsboys shouting in the streets, outside the underground stations. That frightful word of six letters, in the middle of the placard, large and black. (22.26)
Word with six letters? We know! It's "DIVORCE"! No, wait, that's seven letters. Wait, now we have it: "MURDER."
Quote #11
I understood it all. Frank knew, but Maxim did not know that he knew. And Frank did not want Maxim to know that he knew. And we all stood there, looking at one another, keeping up these little barriers between us. (22.38)
Mrs. de Winter does a good job of describing how a group of people can all know the truth about something, but pretend and act as if none of them do.
Quote #12
Colonel Julyan did not believe him. Colonel Julyan was on our side.
"The man's drunk," he said quickly. "He doesn't know what he's saying." (23.3-4)
Colonel Julyan is not what we'd call an impartial investigator. He's looking for ways to consider Favell unreliable. It's easy for him to claim Favell is a liar, because Favell isn't a socially acceptable person.