The church - I think they considered moving possibly because of the disturbance...hitherto a quiet, sleepy backwater, from then on there would be services on Sundays, people, increased 'traffic' etc. But of course being the Halls it turns out to be useful as it is nearby and they don't have to go to the trouble of walking or being driven further afield.
The dreams - This is Maurice's subconscious trying to come to the surface. He's in complete denial and non-comprehension about who he is and what he is, but the subconscious won't allow him to sleep, much as he wants to. I think it's a terrible shame for him that there was a scandal just before he arrived at Sunnington which meant that there was no way of experimentation. There was that one other boy, but because 'that kind of thing' had been eradicated to all intents and purposes there was nothing that Maurice could find out and have the realisation of what his preferences were. No one spoke of 'the unspeakable' which mayn't have been the case before the scandal, and neither he or the other boy who were mutually attracted were able to fathom things out. Poor Maurice! I still feel so sorry for him. Yes, he's asleep, he's going through the motions, but under the surface there is his real persona struggling away and coming out in strange dreams.
If there's anyone I'm going to dislike in the first four chapters, it's dr Barry who comes across as being unnecessarily crude (comments about the housemaster's wife) and generally unhelpful - he is rude to Maurice about his prospects, his following in the footsteps of his father, but offers absolutely no help or advice. I think this is terribly unfair of him and quite nasty, said purely to make Dr Barry feel more superior and for Maurice to feel even more inferior.
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The dreams - This is Maurice's subconscious trying to come to the surface. He's in complete denial and non-comprehension about who he is and what he is, but the subconscious won't allow him to sleep, much as he wants to. I think it's a terrible shame for him that there was a scandal just before he arrived at Sunnington which meant that there was no way of experimentation. There was that one other boy, but because 'that kind of thing' had been eradicated to all intents and purposes there was nothing that Maurice could find out and have the realisation of what his preferences were. No one spoke of 'the unspeakable' which mayn't have been the case before the scandal, and neither he or the other boy who were mutually attracted were able to fathom things out. Poor Maurice! I still feel so sorry for him. Yes, he's asleep, he's going through the motions, but under the surface there is his real persona struggling away and coming out in strange dreams.
If there's anyone I'm going to dislike in the first four chapters, it's dr Barry who comes across as being unnecessarily crude (comments about the housemaster's wife) and generally unhelpful - he is rude to Maurice about his prospects, his following in the footsteps of his father, but offers absolutely no help or advice. I think this is terribly unfair of him and quite nasty, said purely to make Dr Barry feel more superior and for Maurice to feel even more inferior.