Although the Great Dumas repeatedly consoled Dickens, telling him that the Bidnell family couldn't recognize the Thames River in front of them, and with his current wealth and fame, it was only a matter of time before he found a girl better than Maria.
But Dickens was ultimately not a Frenchman, so he couldn't be that carefree, especially considering this was his first love, which made it even harder for him to move on.
Disraeli and Arthur really couldn't offer much advice or comfort on matters of the heart.
As everyone knows, Disraeli was a guy who rose through "connections," and even a woman like Mrs. Sikes, who had seen it all, was captivated by him. Seeing Dickens tripped by a "pebble by the roadside" and single-handedly taken down by a "novice village beast," with Disraeli's disposition, not coming out to mock him already counted as a deep friendship with Dickens.
