Mr. Pocket was out lecturing; for, he was a most delightful lecturer on domestic economy, and his treatises on the management of children and servants were considered the very best text-books on those themes. But Mrs. Pocket was at home, and was in a little difficulty, on account of the baby’s having been accommodated with a needle-case to keep him quiet during the unaccountable absence…of Millers. And more needles were missing than it could be regarded as quite wholesome for a patient of such tender years either to apply externally or to take as a tonic.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 33. It is richly ironic that Mr. Pocket makes a living as a well known lecturer on domestic economy and writing books on managing children and servants. For his own chaotic household is a disaster, the children are neglected and put in danger by the self-absorbed Mrs. Pocket, while the servants actually run the show.