Jane's Miserable Life at Gateshead (Chapters 1-4)
Jane Eyre starts her story as a 10-year-old orphan living with her cruel Aunt Reed and three spoiled cousins at Gateshead Hall in 1808. Her life is basically a nightmare - she's forbidden from playing with her cousins and constantly reminded that she only lives there because of charity.
The worst part? Her cousin John Reed is an absolute bully who throws books at Jane and calls her a "lowly orphan." When Jane finally fights back, guess who gets blamed? That's right - Jane gets punished by being locked in the red room, the creepy chamber where her Uncle Reed died.
Things get even more terrifying when Jane imagines her uncle's ghost is haunting the red room, coming to punish Mrs Reed for breaking her promise to care for Jane properly. Jane screams in terror and faints from fear, but her aunt just thinks she's faking it to escape punishment.
Key Point: Jane's uncle made his wife promise on his deathbed to treat Jane as one of her own children - a promise Mrs Reed clearly never kept.
Mr Lloyd, the family doctor, finally sees how miserable Jane is and suggests she be sent to school. Jane discovers her tragic backstory: her mother was disowned by the Reed family for marrying a poor clergyman, and both parents died of typhus when Jane was a baby. When Mr Brocklehurst, the stern headmaster of Lowood School, visits, Mrs Reed spitefully tells him Jane is a liar - but for once, Jane stands up to her aunt and wins.
