a time of cruelty and isolation Jane feels unloved and unwanted Charlotte shows how society treats orphans without kindness Red-Room- Symbol of Fear and Oppression The Red-Room is a strong picture of a child s fear One day John Reed came into the drawing-room He insulted Jane calling her a dependent and a beggar Then he threw a heavy book at her hurting her Jane for the first time defended herself and attacked him back So Jane is locked in the Red Room as punishment by Mrs Reed It is the room where her uncle Mr Reed died She believes she sees his ghost She faints from terror She says Unjust Unjust This moment shows how children suffer both physically and mentally Charlotte uses this to show how children are treated without care It reflects the cruelty of Victorian families towards weak dependents Lowood School- Childhood under Harsh Discipline Jane is sent to Lowood School The conditions are terrible The building is cold The food is poor Teachers are cruel Mr Brocklehurst insults Jane He calls her a liar in front of everyone The girls look tired and sick Their shoes are old They wear thin clothes in winter Jane notes Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold This shows how poor children in schools suffered in Victorian England Friendship and Moral Education through Helen Burns At Lowood Jane meets Helen Burns Sometimes Helen held her book wrongly Sometimes she stood in the wrong place Sometimes her nails were not clean So Helen is beaten by Miss Scatcherd for these small mistakes But Helen does not get angry Helen teaches Jane patience faith and forgiveness Helen is gentle and spiritual Helen teaches Jane about Jesus and refers to the New Testament that Love your enemies bless them that curse you This gives Jane a new way of thinking Childhood is not only pain It is also a time of learning values Charlotte shows how friendships in childhood shape the mind and soul Search for Love and Self-Respect Throughout her childhood Jane longs for love She never gets it from her aunt or cousins She finds some in Helen and Miss Temple But she still feels a deep need for respect She says I am a free human being with an independent will Though spoken later this spirit comes from her childhood struggles Childhood shaped her courage Charlotte shows that childhood pain made Jane strong independent and ready to demand respect Charlotte Bront treats childhood in Jane Eyre with deep truth Childhood is not romantic It is hard cruel and lonely Yet it gives Jane strength self-respect and moral courage Through Red-Room Lowood and friendship with Helen Charlotte proves that childhood shapes the destiny of one's whole life