We studied Dickens' reliance on forced coincidence and the impacts of the rigid Victorian class structure. We explored the irony in the idealized refined upper class Estella having a mother who is in fact nothing but a lower class criminal who was charged with murder.. In this regard, we discussed the novel's developing theme that a person's value is not tied to an arbitrary standard such as social station. Kaitlin offered interesting comments on how social class and status still play a role in modern life. We then reviewed the numerous coincidences in the novel and explored the extent to which these forced coincidences detract from the novel.