Do we like them?

Do we like Mr. Rochester?

A character from Jane Eyre (1847)

Our score: 4 out of 10. Magnetic, witty and truly fond of Jane, but he manipulates her and keeps a serious secret. We'd back his change of heart more than his earlier choices.

Jane Eyre is a poor, plain-spoken orphan who becomes governess at Thornfield Hall. Her employer, Edward Rochester, is moody, abrupt and often away. He is nothing like the polite master she expected. He teases her, tests her and talks to her as an equal, which no one has done before.

His appeal is that he is clever, funny and honest about his own faults, and he values Jane for her mind and spirit rather than her rank. The trouble is that he hides much more than he reveals. He plays games with her feelings, including staging jealousy, and he lets strange events at Thornfield go unexplained. That makes him hard to fully trust.

The secret is that Rochester is already married to Bertha Mason. He keeps her locked away at Thornfield and tries to marry Jane without telling her. When the truth comes out, Jane leaves rather than give up her principles. Rochester's story afterwards is one of loss and humbling, and he is finally someone Jane can choose freely.

We score him a 4. He is a great romantic lead and a real match for Jane, but for most of the book he is selfish, controlling and deceptive. His redemption is real, but it comes at a high cost to others.