Eppie at the end of the novel and is considered a happy match for her. Dolly Winthrop: mother to Aaron, wife of Ben; godmother to Eppie. Sympathetic to Silas and offers him practical support in raising the child. Ben Winthrop, wheelwright, largely invisible in the novel. Mr Snell, landlord of the Rainbow Inn, Raveloe. William Dane: William Dane is Silas' former best friend at Lantern Yard. At the start of the novel, William betrays Silas by framing him for theft and marrying Silas' fiancée Sarah. Sarah: Silas' fiancée in Lantern Yard, who subsequently marries his treacherous friend William Dane. Mr Macey: the clerk at the local church, a tailor, very elderly by the end of the novel. Solomon Macey, Mr Macey's brother, a talented violinist. Mr Crackenthorpe, rector of Raveloe and a Justice of the Peace. Bob Lundy, the butcher of Raveloe. John Dowlas, the farrier of Raveloe. Jem Rodney, a local poacher, initially suspected by Silas of stealing his money. Mrs Kimble, the sister of Squire Cass, and the doctor's wife, thus considered a double dignitary. Dr Kimble, the doctor of Raveloe, who attends when Molly is found dead. Bob Cass, the Squire's youngest son. Analysis Lawrence Jay Dessner has drawn connections between the biographical circumstances of Eliot's life in relation to events in the novel. Bruce K Martin has discussed Eliot's use of Godfrey Cass as "both parallel and foil" to Silas Marner in the structure of the novel. Fred C Thomson has examined the multiple levels of the idea of alienation in the novel. Joseph Wiesenfarth has noted undercurrents of myth and legend, incorporated into a 'realistic' context, along with contrasts of responsible and irresponsible behaviour in the contrasting fates of Silas Marner and the Cass brothers. David Sonstroem has studied ideas of chance and Darwinian thinking in the context of the plot and character fates in the novel. Susan Stewart has looked at the influence of folktales and ideology related to 'work' vs 'labour' in the novel. Ian Milner has examined two overarching themes of Silas Marner's 'loss and recovery of his humanity', and of a conflict between stated moral values and the social realities juxtaposed with them. Robert H Dunham has analysed the influence of the ideas and philosophy of William Wordsworth on the novel. Brian Swann has examined mythic and religious undertones in the novel. Jeff Nunokawa analyses ideas about physical touch, with respect