I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. Her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 8. After Estella’s comment about his coarse hands and boots, Pip begins to feel ashamed of his working class appearance. He uses a metaphor to compare the girl’s contempt for him to an infectious disease which he then catches. This marks the beginning of Pip’s transformation into a shallow, materialistic young man, who will become ashamed of family and himself and value money and social status above true relationships and integrity.