From the agony of Charles Dickens disenchantment with the Victorian middle class comes a novel of spellbinding mystery and a profound examination of moral values.An orphan living with his older sister and her kindly husband, Pip is hired by wealthy and embittered Miss Havisham as a companion for her and her beautiful adopted daughter, Estella. His years in service to the Havishams fill his heart with the desire to rise above his station in life. Pip s wish is fulfilled when a mysterious benefactor provides him with great expectations the means to be tutored as a gentleman. Thrust into London s high-society circles, Pip grows accustomed to a life of leisure, only to find himself lacking as a suitor competing for Estella s favor. After callously discarding everything he once valued for his own selfish pursuits, Pip learns the identity of his patron a revelation that shatters his very soul. With an Introduction by Stanley Weintraub and an Afterword by Annabel Davis-Goff "