Rough on the outside, Higgins is a moral and compassionate man at heart. He is a poor worker at one of the factories in Milton, and is always fighting for the rights of workers. He is a member of the Union, and works hard to organise a strike to hopefully raise the wages of workers. Higgins is willing to go the extra mile to help his fellow workers, even taking responsibility over another man’s seven children after he died, despite not having the money to do so. As a worker, Higgins has had to learn to have tough skin, and is incredibly protective of his family. He is suspicious of Margaret when he first encounters her, not used to her Southern customs. Higgins is also incredibly proud, not liking to ask for favours or help, preferring to look out for himself. He is Margaret’s link to the working class of Milton. It is through him that she learns not to make assumptions about people based on their appearance or social status. He does the same for Thornton, who discovers that Higgins is intelligent and helps him understand his workers, Gaskell employing their relationship to showcase that masters and workers can have a symbiotic relationship.
