How we cite our quotes: Volume.Part.Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #1
Here was a stranger utterly and helplessly at my mercy—and that stranger a forlorn woman. No house was near; no one was passing whom I could consult; and no earthly right existed on my part to give me a power of control over her, even if I knew how to exercise it. (1.1.4.25)
First of all: um, creepy. Second of all, check out the difference between the stranger being helpless before Walter and Walter having a sense of power. Power is an action in this novel: Walter doesn't have power in this situation because he doesn't choose to exert it.
Quote #2
The lady not being at hand to speak for herself, her guardian had decided, in her absence, on the earliest day mentioned—the twenty-second of December—and had written to recall us to Limmeridge in consequence. (1.3.2.3)
Ah: gender fail, Victorian-style. The fact that women lack power is a common theme throughout the book and was actually a concern of Collins's in real life. Laura doesn't even have the power to decide when her own wedding day is going to happen.
Quote #3
I think I can guess; I am afraid Laura can guess; and I am sure Count Fosco knows. I caught Sir Percival looking at him for approval more than once in the course of the evening. (2.1.3.29)
Aww, even Sir Percival needs approval. He's human too! And in this novel, seeking approval means a failure to exert power. Bad move, Percy.