Little Dorrit: some random observations

Spoiler alerts. 

1/ I’ve concluded that the Flintwinch marriage presents a case of gaslighting (before the term was “coined”, from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play and the 1944 film adaptation starring Ingrid Bergman). 
According to Wikipedia: 

“Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's belief.” 

Is this not precisely what Jeremiah Flintwinch does to his wife Affery? 
He lies to her, ignores her feelings, pretends that the noises don’t exist, speaks down to her, says that she is “failing and breaking up” in her presence and in front of someone else (B.1, ch.30), manipulates her, convinces her that she daydreams and imagines things, makes her question reality and her own perceptions, etc. 

2/ I’ve written about Amy Dorrit, but Little Dorrit also has 3 proud women that I find particularly interesting: Fanny Dorrit, Miss Wade, and Harriet Beadle (called Tattycoram). 
Harriet doesn’t appear much, but we can see that she is proud and doesn’t like to submit. Chapter 20 in book 2 is very interesting—Harriet and Miss Wade argue, in Arthur Clennam’s presence, and Harriet refuses to be meek and submissive even though she lives with Miss Wade and has been “rescued” by her from the Meagles. 
Miss Wade is governed by anger and bitterness. At first I thought she was jilted by a man, like Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, but it turns out that she has always been resentful. “An unhappy temper” is what she says. She overthinks and overanalyses everything, interprets all words and actions through the lens of resentment, and thinks that she is so intelligent and sharp that she sees through everyone. A bitter person thinks everyone despises them and pretends to be nice. I have met quite a few people like her. 
Fanny Dorrit is another colourful, fascinating character. When the Dorrits were poor, I thought Fanny was selfish, self-entitled, ungrateful, unkind, and insufferable. As time went on, especially after the change of fortunes, I started to understand her better. As I side with Fanny against Mrs Merdle, I understand her sense of insult, and wish to triumph. I think she is foolish for being willing to sacrifice her own happiness in order to get back at a woman she hates and making it her life mission, but in a sense I get it. It makes sense that someone like her would do something like this. 
It is different, but I’m thinking of Henry James’s Washington Square, in which triumph does not equal happiness—Catherine Sloper sacrifices her own happiness for dignity and a sense of triumph. 

3/ It’s good that before Mr Dorrit dies, his mind wanders and he again thinks he’s the Father of the Marshalsea. He might leave the prison, but the prison never leaves him.