George Elliot portrays Silas' life in Lantern Yard as pleasant, comfortable and fulfilling. She makes us aware of the things he values such as faith, friendship, trust and also his craft of weaving. His life centres around these and this theme of what is valuable in life is a significant strand of the story which affects many characters and runs right through the book. As we are told about Silas' life, we are introduced to William Dane, his closest friend. George Elliot describes him as,

`...so dazzled by his own light as to hold himself wiser than his teachers.'

She uses words such as `self complacent', `lurked' and `slanting eyes' to convey his deceptive character which is illustrated when he betrays Silas. I think that the...