Lady Audley - a woman of many personalities. She is never satisfied with herself. Cannot love the past nor embrace it. At a young age, she married and had a child. She was abandoned by her husband and then she, in turn, left her child. Being a governess, she earned meager wages which she sent to her father. Sir Audley proposes marriage and she accepts, leaving her past behind her.
Alicia - high-born young lady. Attempts to place herself above Lady Audley because she was born with the money and power, while Lady Audley attained it by marriage. Whiny and unconsolable.
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“She was a chilly little creature, and loved to bury herself in soft wrappings of satin and fur” (55)
This shows how much Lucy wanted to hide and how well she did so. Her past wasn’t of satin and fur, but her present is. Her former life would’ve taken all of that away, and she wasn’t going to have that happen. The “chilly little creature” suggests her coldness towards others as well as the fact that she’s referred to as a creature instead of a human. She is unknown, without a past; no one knows who or what she is.
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“He slowly emptied it of its contents, taking out each article separately, and laying it carefully upon a chair by his side…pipes…crumpled gloves…play bills…perfume bottles…letters…newspapers…books…But amongst all the mass of worthless litter, each scrap of which had once had its separate purpose…” (133-134)
Though Helen/Lucy’s past is a mystery, it is easy to piece together who she was. A woman with many suitors (pipes), who attended the theater and other amusements (play bills and gloves), a woman who followed fashion, but was yet studious and up to date on current events. Though to Robert, these are irrelevant items (“mass of worthless litter”) we have an insight into who she is and what we can expect of her.
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