I considered Mr. Pumblechook wretched company. Besides being possessed by my sister’s idea that a mortifying and penitential character ought to be imparted to my diet, – besides giving me as much crumb as possible in combination with as little butter, and putting such a quantity of warm water into my milk that it would have been more candid to have left the milk out altogether, – his conversation consisted of nothing but arithmetic.

– Charles Dickens

Great Expectations, Chapter 8. Pip expresses his dislike for Mr. Pumblechook when he goes to stay with him and Pumblechook does not treat him well. Pumblechook is miserly and feeds the boy crumbs and watered down milk. He is one of Dickens’s famous figures of satire. Even his absurd name suggests he is not to be taken seriously.