d eyes; what I had never felt
             before, was the friendly touch of the once insensible hand." (Chapter 59). Joe
             Gargery: Joe is the only one of Dickens' characters who stands opposed to
             and apart from the main current of action. He stays away from London, for
             the most part, and only intervenes when needed. He is always present in Pip's
             mind, and tends to remind both Pip and the reader of those values in Pip that
             were crushed during the evolution of his expectations. Joe is an honest and
             industrious fellow, although he sometimes comes across as foolish to other
             characters in the novel. He is also a generous and forgiving man, which is
             illustrated by his reaction to having some food taken from his house by the
             convict. Joe tells the convict that he was welcome to it, since it kept the
             convict from starving. Joe is also the only character in the novel with no real
             property. All that he counts as his own are his tools; all else, in Joe's mind,
             belongs to Mrs. Joe. His freedom from material goods and the desire for
             them sets him apart from the "gentlemen" like Pumblechook in the novel. Joe
             was a child of an abusive family; his father was a drunkard and beat Joe and
             his mother. The epitaph that Joe composes for his father reveals the extent of
             his forgiving nature. The same epitaph, "Whatsum-er the failings on his part,
             Remember, reader, he were that good in his hart," applies to Pip, as well, as
             he finishes his adventures. Joe is far more significant than the virtuous and
             kindly blacksmith he appears to be. Dickens refers to him as "holy", and the
             cottage has an air of "sanctity" for Pip. Joe is opposed to all false values, and
             does not present his view in bombastic speeches, but rather within himself
             ...