He feels intimidated by Miss Havisham, and her surrounding. He finds it very strange that she is wearing a bridal dress and so much jewellery.
Miss Havisham seems very surprised because what seems so normal to her is so new to Pip who seems to be appreciating everything in Miss Havishams household, referring to it as so new, so strange and fine. And yet to Miss Havisham everything appears old, because of her social class, because she has lived that life all her life.
At this point Mrs Havisham is too tired to play with Pip so she encourages him to call Estella. Estella feels because she is of higher social status she does not need to play cards with Pip. She refers to him as a common labouring boy, the readers would sympathise with Pip, because the writer makes him seem inadequate.
When asked what he plays, Pip answers; “nothing but beggar Miss” because he comes from a poor background such games are not common to Pip. Estella does not show any appreciation of Pips presence by verbally describing Pips hands as being coarse and thick boots.
Pip was subdued as a result of being told that he has coarse hands, Pip further states that Estella’s contemplation for him was so strong, he started to feel unwelcome in their household. Pip felt even more subdued when he lost the game, and more especially that Estella had denounced him as a stupid labouring boy.
Mrs Havisham, who was looking and listening to Estella’s verbal abuse, prompted Pip to fight back and say something to Estella. But Pip could not stand his ground there and then, because he felt intimidated and as a result started to stammer. The reader sympathises with Pip because of his luck of confidence in the presence of the two ladies.
The writer here exposes a scenario were Pip with further promoting develops the confidence to say what he felt, although in contrast he passed both positive and negative comments. Although these comments were made Estella took no notice.
When the game was over Estella showed relief in having completed that game with Pip, because she got tired of winning and felt Pip was stupid because he did not know how to play. At this point the reader feels that Estella is a cold and ruthless person, were as Pip is a more caring person who feels compassion for other people and Estella does not.
The writer makes it very obvious that Pip was at the mercy of Mrs Havisham and Estella, because of their difference in social status. They made Pip feel insignificant, to the point were they brought him down to tear. They started to make him feel unwelcome, they made him feel as if he was not good enough to eat at the same table as them.
They made him feel inferior, Estella could not look at him when giving him his food, and when offered the food Pip was not to eat at the table, he was forced to eat somewhere else were they did not have to see him.