Miss Havisham has a problem with men. She was left at the altar when she young. Now, she's a man-hater. Having Estella as a daughter, she wants to teach Estella to wreak havoc on men. She is training Estella through these excursions with Pip to taunt, tease, mislead, mock and put-down someone of the other gender.

Pip misreads this as he gets older. As a youngster, he was never quite sure what to make of it. Pip as a child in a lower class also helps give Estella something to mock. She makes fun of how he plays cards, what he calls jacks, and what his shoes look like.