Jealousy is an attitude or disposition in which one is apprehensive of losing a position or affection, and becoming resentful or bitter in rivalry. In Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier explores the issue of jealousy through numerous characters and their relationships. Three of the main characters who are affected by jealousy are Maxim de Winter, The Second Mrs. de Winter, and Mrs. Danvers. Through these characters, Daphne du Maurier creates a study of jealousy and its destructive power in Rebecca.

Maxim de Winter, as husband to Rebecca and owner to Manderdley, is a prime example of a character whose actions are ruled by jealousy. Maxim is jealous of Rebecca's many relationships outside their marriage. Mrs. Danvers states this when talking to The Second Mrs. de Winter in chapter eighteen. "He was jealous while she lived, and now he is jealous when she's dead. Who wouldn't be jealous? They were...