How do pride and self-delusion shape the characters in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel?

In George Meredith’s The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, pride and self-delusion serve as central psychological forces that drive the tragic trajectory of the narrative. Meredith characterizes these traits as forms of egoism, which he believed could be purged and replaced with sanity through the lens of comedy.12

The novel explores the strained relationship between a baronet and his son, Richard, who falls in love with a girl from a lower social class. Both men are deeply affected by their own pride and inability to see their motives clearly, leading to a series of manipulative actions and a final, tragic outcome. The father’s desire to control his son’s life and the son’s own internal struggles illustrate how these flaws prevent genuine understanding and rational behavior. By examining the psychology of motive and rationalization, Meredith highlights how these self-delusions create an "ordeal"—a recurring motif in his work—that ultimately tests and breaks the characters.12