I chose the passage “Dear me!” she said, “this is very strange. I did not think men were capable of these deep and lasting affections. I thought that one pretty face was as good as another pretty face to them; and that when number one with blue eyes and fair hair died, they had only to look out for number two, with dark eyes and black hair, by way of variety.” (Braddon, Chapt. 11)
This passage is a comment made by Lady Audley right after Robert talks about George’s disappearance and sadness over his late wife. This passage has a double meaning to it. On the surface it’s a longer comment about the apparent fickleness of men, but if you scratch below the surface it might be a commentary of society in general. Hear me out, this is the first indication that Lady Audley is not as virtuous as she says she is. This comment is later plastered over by the fellow dinner guests as Lady Audley being childish and immature. This lack of seriousness in reaction to her concerning statement is an obvious message by the author that even by women, women’s opinions were not respected or heard. If they had taken a more serious license to listen to her words, a more serious investigation could have happened earlier in the book. Since they didn’t listen, Lady Audley could do more devious acts in the future.