ah! This is arguably one of the most interesting and unexplored side plots of Little Dorrit. I would have loved to see more of this. I felt such pity for Harriet, who was in the awful position of being lifted higher than a servant yet not treated on equal terms with the rest of the family, left to flounder in dependency on their charity, with no real sense of belonging.

Granted, her decisions were rash and impetuous, but it would drive most people to madness to be called a bizarre name like Tattycoram, which sounds like a toy, and be included in the family, while made subservient to a spoiled girl who is really not superior to you in any respect, other than birth. It's helpful that you include details from the novel that the show didn't expound on. Adds an extra depth.

this is good - I like it! thanks for sharing :)

Thank you very much for writing this. Tattycoram's fate in the book irked me, along with Meagles' refusal to consider that he might be at fault; importantly, he isn't completely at fault and you've given him a very fair and balanced reading, even a believable one, despite being very different from the book. Especially good to emphasise at the end, her does care about her. Considering the stillborn twin, and the Meagles' disappointed expectations of Harriet were both very good ideas. It was a particular fault of the Meagles that they had no plans for enabling Harriet's marriage or future independence; her only future seemed to be as a permanent child cum servant, with the spirit of a pirate queen. I personally relieved my frustrations by inserting Harriet's name and character into several of the 'Choice of Games' interactive novels, making her a steampunk super-heroine, a female navy captain and a mecha pilot.

Wonderful! Really, a scene like this should've been in the novel or the TV series. It's awesome how well you can keep the characters IC. I could imagine Arthur trying to hold back but then finally speaking his mind (albeit politely), and Mr. Meagles being totally surprised about it very easily. I also liked how you brought in Pet's dead sister; Arthur thinking about how she would've turned out was very interesting.