Wuthering Heights

A rainy night ushers in a miserable misty morning of half-frost and half-drizzle. Nelly's feet are thoroughly soaked, and she's in the perfect mood to find fault with everything. She and Cathy enter Wuthering Heights through the kitchen to verify Heathcliff is truly absent. They find old Joseph sitting in perfect contentment by a roaring fire, enjoying his ale and toasted oatcake, his pipe in his mouth—a picture of working-class satisfaction amid the household's misery. When Nelly asks if the master is home, Joseph ignores her completely, puffing his pipe and staring into the fire. From an inner room, they hear Linton's peevish voice complaining about the fire dying down and Joseph's neglect. Entering, they find Linton reclining in a great chair, who immediately shouts "I hope you'll die in a garret, starved to death!" thinking they're his negligent servant. Realizing his error, he greets Cathy but immediately rejects her affectionate kiss, claiming it "takes his breath." The visit reveals the toxic atmosphere at Wuthering Heights—Linton uses his genuine illness as a weapon to control everyone, demanding constant attention while treating servants with cruelty. He complains endlessly about the cold, the neglect, his suffering, all while Joseph deliberately ignores him, maintaining his own dignity through passive resistance. Cathy is both attracted to and disturbed by her cousin, seeing his weakness as something she must protect rather than the manipulation it truly is. The physical misery of the weather mirrors the emotional dysfunction within.