Soon after the marriage and David's return home, Murdstone's sister Jane moves into the house at Blunderstone with them.

However, the Murdstones begin to show a much darker and more sadistic side to their personalities, and with Clara's generally passive and forgiving demeanour, they manipulate her with psychological mind games until she comes to accept that the Copperfield household is no longer hers, but now belongs to the Murdstones.

After being released from a debtors' prison, Mr Micawber is forced to move to Plymouth and David flees the factory to find his aunt Betsey Trotwood at Dover.

Murdstone, apparently feeling remorse for the first time for his actions, merely leaves without a word.

Near the end of the novel, the adult David learns from an old acquaintance that Murdstone, despite Aunt Betsey's scolding, reverted to his old ways, married a rich young woman and "since the sister came to help, the brother and sister between them have nearly reduced her to a state of imbecility".