Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold: we had no boots, the snow got into our shoes and melted there: our ungloved hands became numbed and covered with chilblains, as were our feet. I remember well the distracting irritation I endured from this cause every evening, when my feet inflamed; and the torture of thrusting the swelled, raw, and stiff toes into my shoes in the morning.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 7. The harsh environment and deprivations at Lowood charity school soon becomes apparent to Jane during her first three months there. There are heavy falls of snow and the girls are given inadequate clothing to protect them from the severe cold. As a result they suffer from painful chilblains.