“Come here! You may kiss me, if you like.” I kissed her cheek as she turned it to me. I think I would have gone through a great deal to kiss her cheek. But I felt that the kiss was given to the coarse common boy as a piece of money might have been, and that it was worth nothing.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 11. Pip has his first kiss with Estella, the girl he is besotted with. The intimate moment of connection is not quite what he expected. The peck on the cheek is offered by Estella in a cold and disinterested manner. It is his reward for beating an older boy in a fight, later revealed to be Herbert Pocket. In a simile, Pip likens the kiss to something transactional, like a worthless monetary tip you would give a common boy.