He's also an honest man, which is why the false accusation made against him back in Lantern Yard is so outrageous. For good measure, he's a very kind man, as can be seen by the love he lavishes on little Eppie. To be sure, all of these characteristics were always there, but the townsfolk of Raveloe were so suspicious and distrustful of Silas that they were never able to see them.

Before being framed for a crime he did not commit by his former close friend, William Dane, Silas Marner was a joyful, devoted Christian in his hometown of Lantern Yard. As a young man in Lantern Yard, Silas was trusted and well-liked by his peers. After being betrayed by William Dane, Silas loses his faith, leaves Lantern Yard, and travels to Raveloe, where he lives on the outskirts of town alone in a small cottage. In Raveloe, Silas spends the majority of his time weaving and hoarding his money. He is an extremely reclusive, lonely man, who rarely interacts with his community members. Silas lives a joyless life and is only comfortable when he is at his loom or counting his coins. After being robbed by Dunstan Cass, Silas discovers and adopts Eppie, who wanders into his home on a wintry night. Eppie changes Silas's life for the better as he begins to rely on the help of his neighbors in Raveloe to raise her. As Eppie matures and grows older, her presence allows Silas to leave his small cottage and interact with his community members. By the end of the novel, Silas develops into a loving, well-liked member of Raveloe's community, who has a positive reputation and enjoys engaging in social interactions.

Silas Marner is portrayed as a jaded, lonely man, who spends the majority of his day laboring away at his loom and enjoying his money. After discovering and raising Eppie, Silas develops into a compassionate, loving old man, who becomes a well-known, popular community member.

Eppie is depicted as a spirited young lady, who is loyal to Silas and takes care of him when he becomes old. She is a loving, compassionate young girl, who remains devoted to Silas even after discovering that Godfrey Cass is her biological father.

Godfrey Cass is depicted as a guilty man, who is afraid that his father will disown him if he discovers that he married an opium addict, Molly Farren, and had a daughter. He is also a cowardly, indecisive man, who only acknowledges that Eppie is his daughter after Dunsey's remains are discovered.

Dunstan (Dunsey) Cass is portrayed as a foolish, selfish man, who blackmails his brother and steals Silas's gold. Dunstan is a drunken, greedy individual, who falls to his death in the Stone Pits near Silas's home.

Nancy Lammeter is portrayed as a decorous, morally-upright woman, who becomes Godfrey's second wife. She is a lovely, attractive woman, who surprisingly accepts the knowledge of Godfrey's marriage to Molly after he reveals his secret.

Dolly Winthrop is depicted as a friendly, compassionate neighbor, who offers Silas assistance raising Eppie and encourages him to socialize with the citizens of Raveloe.

Here are a few adjectives that you could assign to each of the main characters.  These could be developed into a larger discussion of their personalities.  What is interesting is how some of the characteristics of a character play off of one another.  For example, Silas's abilty to be open-hearted to taking in Eppie allowed him to be more dynamic man who was able to change his attitudes about his world and the world around him.  Another example is Dunstan's arrogance leads to his foolishness, and ends up killing him.  This novel is a clever and seemingly simple story, and the characters come to clearly represent some age-old sterreotypes about people.

Silas Marner -- miserly, open-hearted, dynamic

Eppie -- sweet, innocent, loyal

Dunstan Cass -- greedy, foolish, arrogant

Godfrey Cass -- weak, foolish, indecisive 

Dolly Winthrop -- friendly, helpful

The first descriptor that fits Silas's character is "dynamic." This type of character is one which changes throughout the novel, as circumstances change around him. The fact that he actually changes makes Silas someone who is also in touch with his feelings, and aware of his surroundings. However, before his change, Silas was not like that. 

When Silas lived in Lantern Yard, he was a complaisant man. He had fallen in a comfortable routine, where he was surrounded by familiar faces on whom he always counted. He became, in fact, way too trusting. He was so comfortable, that he missed all the signs and red flags that were popping up all around him. His childhood friend, William Dane, felt jealous of the good reputation that Silas acquired in among the people of his religious sect. As a result, he framed Silas for theft, ruined his reputation and stole his fiancée, Sarah. 

These events left Silas defeated, angry, and wanting to be isolated. He felt so hurt by the acts of the people whom he once considered his "family," that he chose to give up altogether any contact with people. However, once in Raveloe, Silas still had his humanity intact; he was just to scared to connect again. And who wouldn't be, after what happened to him?

When he decides to switch his anger into greed he essentially begins to focus on something else; this time, it would be money- not love, not friends, nor family. As he stored his gold, he felt that he had an upper hand on his past. He may not be happy, but he will be rich. Gold became the substitute for the love that he lacked and yet wished to have so desperately. 

After the second major event, the theft of his gold, sends Silas into a shock, he also comes across Eppie: the baby that saves his life. It is Eppie who brings out all the good traits that Silas wanted to conceal from the world in fear of getting hurt. Baby Eppie brought back the humanity in Silas, made him a whole man, as he used to be broken. She also made him a better person. With all of this, we can safely conclude that Silas is a very good man who was done very wrongly. He did not deserve what happened to him at all. He got a second lease on life thanks to Eppie, and he was able to recuperate from his sad past.