A lesson in morality, a cautionary tale that tells you that can't hide from your past, and if you try it will probably catch up to you in the end. It's exceptional for someone if you're looking for something that can be read in an hour. It's a short novel. There is one particular scene, moreover, where Eliot captures human behaviour in a perfect way, where the contradictory nature of society gets torn between self-serving comfort and gossip. This is one of Geoge Eliot's best.