Joe has curly "flaxen" hair (which means it is pale blond), a smooth face, and blue eyes. He is the kindest of men. Pip describes him as mild-mannered, easy-going, flexible, "foolish," and a "dear."

Mrs. Joe is the opposite of Joe in both looks and behavior. She has black hair and coarse red skin. Pip sometimes wonders if she doesn't wash herself with a nutmeg grater rather than soap. She is tall and lean. She wears an apron with a square bib that is always stuck with pins. Pip records that she hits both Joe and himself. As Pip puts, Mrs. Joe has

a hard and heavy hand, and . . . [is] much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me . . .

Mrs. Joe is a harsh, bad-tempered woman who makes it clear that Pip is a burden to her even though he is her own brother. Joe, in contrast, though he is only related to Pip through marriage, genuinely cares for the boy and treats him with gentleness and compassion.