Phillip Pirrip is a young small boy. He lives with his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery and her husband, Joe Gargery, as both his parents and all of his five brothers had died. He had never before seen any of his family, other than his sister, so he tries to imagine what his family looks like by judging the decorations and writing on their tombstones. He is always called Pip, because at his young age his "infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip" (Page 1) He lives in Marsh Country, twenty miles from the sea, near a river. He is very small and weak, as the convict was able to lift him right off the ground.

Pip is very small, even for his age and is neither strong nor heavy. He has fat cheeks, meaning he is fed well. `"What fat cheeks you...