Sir Thomas' heavy reliance on Mrs. Norris also supports the view that he would have preferred a more active (or at least awake) wife. In fact, Mrs. Norris almost acts the role of a second wife. Even when Mr. Norris was alive, we never witness any scene where he is directly present. Nor is Mrs. Norris upset when her husband dies (one of the only two excellent scenes in the abomination that is MP2 is Mrs. Norris' reaction to her husband's death).

Miss Ward, at the end of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to be attached to the Rev. Mr. Norris, a friend of her brother–in–law, with scarcely any private fortune Chap. 1 [Mrs. Norris] consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering that she could do very well without him Chap.3