Persome quoted, "Charity begins at home."
With reference to ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’, do you feel that the Bishop was doing the same? Reflect on the values that are highlighted through the Bishop’s character.
Normally the saying, “Charity begins at home” means that you should take care of your family and people close to you before you worry about helping others. However, in the case of the Bishop, it is just the reverse. Persome says this in irony because the Bishop had donated everything he had to help others in need, but not thought of keeping anything for himself or his sister. Persome feels that they should also think about their own survival before donating things to others. But the Bishop has highlighted the values of being helpful to others and being selfless by selling the silver salt-cellars to pay Mere Gringoire’s rent, giving his comforter to Marie and gifting the silver candlesticks to the convict.