The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have been exceeded if he had been some terrible beast.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 39. Pip doesn’t at all appreciate Magwitch for being his secret benefactor and turning him into a gentleman. Instead he is ashamed and revolted by the fact that a criminal is the source of his recently acquired wealth and great expectations. He had thought Miss Havisham was his unknown benefactress who wanted to shape him into a gentleman so that he could marry Estella. It is ironic that Magwitch should show such affection for Pip, while Pip expresses his loathing for Magwitch using dehumanizing bestial imagery in a simile. Pip classes himself above someone like Magwitch, whom he sees as sub-human.