Even though Bulstrode is extremely powerful, he too must
deal with the constraints within the web of social relations. His
marriage with Walter Vincy's sister socially legitimizes him because
the Vincy family is an old, influential Middlemarch institution,
but he is also under familial obligations to them. He lectures Vincy
about his son's extravagant ways, but he clears Fred's name because
he can't afford to alienate his wife and her family.
In many ways, money performs the function that family
honor once did. The growth of the middle class has increased social
mobility and freed many individuals from the constraints imposed
by ideas of family honor. Vincy wishes to allow his children the
opportunity to advance socially, but Featherstone and Bulstrode
use money to manipulate his son. Vincy himself uses his money to
force his son to conform to a profession not of Fred's own choosing.
Fred naively believes that the promise of old Featherstone's money
and property will eventually free him from the obligations of his
father's financial support.
Most characters in Middlemarch suffer
conflicts with independence. The prevalence of these conflicts owes
largely to the transitions undergone by most social relations. There
is more opportunity for independence because of social mobility;
family name and honor don't outright determine an individual's life
choices, but they still carry influence. The blurred definition
of "debt" carries social pitfalls. Bulstrode and Featherstone deliberately
keep the matter of "debt" indistinct. They leave the question of
"debt" somewhere in between its strict financial meaning and the
vaguer notion of personal obligation. In this way, it never really
becomes clear when the "debt" is paid. Is the debt paid after the
money has been returned? Fred obtains Bulstrode's denial of the
rumor, but Featherstone gives him a "gift" to keep the "debt" from
really being cleared. Moreover, Fred persuades Caleb Garth to co-sign
on his debt. This "debt" is more than a financial obligation. This
"debt" will soon carry greater consequences for the Garth family.
Another pitfall awaits Lydgate. He believes he can flirt
with Rosamond with no consequences. Both Rosamond and Lydgate have
unrealistic, idealistic ideas about marriage. Rosamond is also a skillful
manipulator, and Lydgate's inexperience in dealing with the web
of social relations will later lead him into trouble with Rosamond.
