This paper describes how Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre as a conduct book to describe basic virtues that women should have and to criticize the marriage of convenience, declaring that only qualities of mind prove what a woman is really worth. Conduct books criticize the notion of female bodies as objects, tending to train women to be submissive so as not to dominate others through their appearance or body. It is through her mind that Jane Eyre, a governess who has no social status, no money, and little beauty, can become a woman that a man like Rochester would marry. Introduction In a marriage of convenience, people marry for money and social status with little concern for mutual affection. In modern marriages, mutual affection is usually more important than economic motives. That is, people are united by mutual affection rather than by economic need. In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a master and a governess are fashioned into an example of legitimate monogamy and in doing so Charlotte Bronte criticizes the marriage of convenience, declaring that only qualities of mind prove what a woman is really worth. It is through her mind that Jane Eyre, who has no social status, no money, and little beauty, can become a woman that a man like Rochester would marry. Jane Eyre thus becomes a conduct book explaining what basic virtues women should have, including how to dress well, how to spend their idle time productively, how to avoid being seen as an object, and how to let their "hunger, rebellion, and anger" (Gilbert & Gubar 1979: 360) out moderately to survive in a patriarchal society. Marriage of Convenience vs. Marriage with Mutual Affection In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte implies that people, especially women, marry for cash, property, and social status, but this rarely brings personal happiness. Bertha Mason's marriage to Mr. Rochester is typical of this marriage of convenience. Rochester marries Bertha for her money and social st...