Woman in white by wilkie collins

Frederick Fairlie
Frederick is the uncle and the guardian of Laura Fairlie and Marian Halcombe, and also the head of Limmeridge House. He completely fails in his obligations as Laura's guardian and protector. He does not take Laura’s interests to heart and is unwilling to arrange a favorable marriage settlement for Laura. He is totally blind and indifferent to the fact that Sir Percival only wants to marry Laura out of mercenary motives. Even with knowledge of Laura’s unwillingness to contract the marriage, he still insists that the marriage should go ahead as planned.
Frederick Fairlie is an extremely selfish, self-absorbed man. He is portrayed as a useless invalid who is a bundle of nerves. He is effeminate and cannot withstand any external stimuli and shock. He is extremely sensitive to sound, light and physical exertion. He is wealthy and has amassed a huge collection of paintings and artwork. He has taste in artwork and hires Walter to instruct his nieces in sketching. Overall, he is a caricature of the wealthy upper-class man whose only ability lays in his appreciation of the aesthetic. Through his character, Collins pokes fun at the idle Victorian aristocrats who are obsessed with aesthetics, but are incapable of any useful labor and socially-productive activity. At the end of the novel, Frederick Fairle dies, and his property passes on to Laura, Walter, and their newborn son.