The cataleptic fits Silas suffers from change his life twice in the book, firstly when he is kicked out of Lantern Yard, and then Eppie crawls through Silas,s door which he was having one of his fits.
Silas’s money being stolen by Dunsey Cass opens his door to other members of his village. He allows social interaction to enter his life, being visited by many of his neighbours such as Dolly Winthrop with whom he begins to form a very close relationship. He is seen more as a neighbour than before but his meetings with other people soon die down. Dunsten Cass who was greedy and cruel receives what he deserves; he loved tormenting his brother, blackmailing him for money, stole Silas’s money, and overall was a repulsive and malignant man. He had claimed to his brother that he would always land on his feet but ironically he was found over sixteen years after his death at the bottom of Silas’s stone-pit.
Godfrey Cass who was Eppie’s father, even though he had some good in his nature, was selfish and often a coward. He was scared to admit to his mistakes, not telling his father about Molly Farren his opium-addicted wife, and therefore he allowed Dunsey to blackmail him. He regretted his rejection of Eppie as a child because he and his wife, Nancy Lammeter, couldn’t have any children of his own. He also acted very selfish when he asked Eppie to come and live with him instead of Silas, saying that his natural claim on Eppie should stand over all others, that she should be rightfully his. He treats Eppie for like an item than his daughter because he fails to understand the true concepts of family due to him having lived without a mother nearly all his life. He fails to truly recognise that his wife is his real blessing because they have a very close relationship. Godfrey own personal growth is stunned unless if he doesn’t recognises how lucky he his to have a wife like Nancy, and to accept that he will not be able to have children because of his rejection of Eppie.
Nancy Lammeter lives her life through a very narrow perspective and even though her intentions are always good she sees everything in her strict code. She thinks that it is Eppie’s duty to obey her natural father, even though he had denied her for all his life. Even though both Godfrey and Nancy are from high households their wisdom and manners seem to be less than even the simple folk like Eppie. Eliot tells us that you do not have to come from a high household to show courtesy and dignity. Nancy had always been good in her life and she is rewarded by having a good husband in Godfrey and high status in society in Raveloe.
The arrival of Eppie in Silas’s life puts a strong link from Silas to the rest of Raveloe. After sixteen years with Eppie we see that he is once again part of a tigh-knit society and is repected and liked by all. Silas starts going back to church accepting religion once again in his life, we are shown how Eliot dislikes religious sects such as in Lantern Yard and how the life of normal rural people, like in Raveloe, is much better. Eliot also shows us how industrialisation is taking over normal like, such as how Lantern Yard had completely disappeared.
There is a lot in Silas Marner to suggest that it is a moral tale, Dunsey is punished, Silas is rewarded in the end, Godfrey has a bit of both. However it is only a moral tale to a certain extent, because why would Silas be punished in the first place and why did Nancy had to suffer because of Godfrey’s mistakes.