Bleak House by Charles Dickens is a truly English novel about the life of different layers of English society. Leicester Dedlock and his wife, the guardian and advocate belong to the "cream". Esther and Allan are from a poor class. Esther lives in the house of her godmother Miss Barbary; she feels lonely and wants to know the secret of her birth. Eventually, the godmother says to a girl: "Your mother dishonoured you and you brought disgrace upon her. Forget her?" Bleak House is the name of the main character's house. Metaphorically speaking, it is open to cold English winds.
