I vastly prefer Anne Bronte's work to that of her sisters, especially this book. This novel directly attacks the social structure which gave power to unworthy men at the expense of worthy women, and justifies the right of a woman to protect the morality of her home and her children by any means necessary. Another note is that the characterization of Helen's husband could be seen as a refutation against the romanticism of a wild, passionate, selfish man seen in Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.