“Camilla, my dear, it is well known that your family feelings are gradually undermining you to the extent of making one of your legs shorter than the other.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 11. Cousin Raymond says this to wife Mrs. Camilla when she complains of suffering “nervous jerkings” because she cares too much for others. The absurd hyperbolic image of Camilla’s leg shortening is topped only by her ridiculous claim of hysterical leg “jerkings” because of worry over Miss Havisham’s health. Raymond and Camilla are parasitic relatives who hover around Miss Havisham’s house hoping to inherit her fortune. Both characters are satirical creations of Dickens.