The novel, Great Expectations, deals with the concepts of a "true gentleman"; where the Victorian idea, which is based on birth, wealth, social status and clothing, contrasts with Dickens' portrayal of a gentleman who is a kind person, humility and generosity. Dickens's education and early life allow him to understand the position of the poor due to their humble upbringing, which keeps them in the lower social class. Its didactic message, about what it means to be a true gentleman, is reinforced by the novel's bildungsroman style. In Victorian times, anyone who came from a wealthy and respectable family was considered a gentleman. This is evident in numerous characters in the novel, who are immediately perceived as gentlemen since they boast large sums of money and dress in the finest clothes. One example, Compeyson, uses this to get a reduced sentence in court, as Magwitch says "one, the youngest, well-bred, who will be spoken to as such". This highlights the importance of social class in the Victorian era and it is clear here that the justice system is much more supportive of the higher social ranks, deciding how they would be treated and addressed, and that punishment does not depend on the crime, rather the background and education of the individual being prosecuted. Dickens demonstrated that the Victorian concept of a gentleman centered on wealth and social rank, not the characteristics we see in a gentleman today. In addition to this, many of the characters in the novel are also shown to have the misconception that money makes a difference. Gentleman. Magwitch's comment on Pip's return that he [Pip] has "contracted expensive habits" demonstrates this and gives the impression that spending money in such generous ways was not... middle of paper... the end of the world novel ; small and humble: a true gentleman and a great man in Dickens's eyes. In conclusion, Charles Dickens, himself a social critic of humble origins, conveyed his conception of a true gentleman, which is such a good conception that it is commonly used today in our society. It shows that you can only be a true gentleman at heart and if you are not it will be revealed. Matthew Pocket's metaphor that 'No paint can hide the grain of wood; and that the more paint you put on, the more the grain will express itself' very successfully conveys and summarizes Dickens' message, that no matter how hard you try, your true identity will always be revealed. It also effectively reinforces how Dickens treats the Victorian preconception of a gentleman as misunderstood and wrongly absorbed by social status, wealth, birth and dress..