mock how Victorians valued appearances over truth Love becomes a game of names and imagination not feelings Marriage as a Social Business Marriage in Victorian society was treated like a contract Lady Bracknell represents this harsh view She questions Jack about money property and family before approving marriage She asks in Act I A man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing Which do you know When Jack says he was found in a handbag Lady Bracknell rejects him at once On the other hand at first she rejects Cecily as Algernon s bride because she thinks Cecily is poor However when she learns that Cecily has a large inheritance Lady Bracknell suddenly becomes very supportive of the marriage She exclaims in Act III A hundred and thirty thousand pounds And in the Funds Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady now that I look at her This shows her greed She ignores her earlier objections when wealth appears Her hypocrisy adds comedy but also reflects Victorian selfishness The Hypocrisy of Victorian Love Wilde also mocks the lies behind love Jack creates a fake brother called Ernest so he can escape to London In Act I He admits I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest Algernon invents a sick friend Bunbury to avoid boring dinners Both men use tricks to find freedom for love But their lies also create comic problems Gwendolen and Cecily forgive them but only on the condition that they must be named Ernest Wilde shows that love in this society is mixed with hypocrisy and shallow desires Love as Play and Romance Although Wilde mocks love he also shows its charm Algernon declares in Act I The very essence of romance is uncertainty Cecily writes in her diary in Act II I keep a diary in order to enter the wonderful secrets of my life These words show love as playful and dreamy Wilde presents romance as both silly and beautiful Through this comic treatment Wilde shows that love is not logical but full of joy Parental Control and Social Rules Another important part of love and marriage in the play is parental control Lady Bracknell dominates Gwendolen s life She decides who her daughter can marry She says in Act I When you do become engaged to someone I or your father should his health permit him will inform you of the fact This shows that Victorian children had little freedom in love Parents treated marriage as a way to protect wealth and class Wilde exaggerates this control to make it funny but also critical In short Wilde treats love and marriage as shallow funny and controlled by social rules Love is based on names appearances and fantasies Marriage is guided by money class and parental power