Amazing how she treats this like a game of cards, as she considers her favorable odds of successfully marrying off her daughter

Interesting way of looking at it - something she had done and he had done too, rather than something they did together

I wonder what exactly being "independent" means to her - independent from what?

That is such a strong statement! In the contexts it is meant to show the depth of his connection to Maria, but it can easily be interpreted as a rejection of his biological mother

There is an interesting ambivalence reflected in the contrast between these sentences: is she hoping it will be a nice evening, or sure it will be? Does the fact that Alphy and Joe aren't speaking limit how nice the evening can be for her?

This is a fairly strange reaction. If he knows he did not steel the Moonstone, wouldn't the logical inference be that someone else wore his nightgown, either incidentally or in an attempt to frame him? Instead, he presents himself as perplexed and puzzled to discover himself as the thief

Since the novel was originally serialized, perhaps this recap is meant as a kind of "in the previous episodes..." reminder?

I was wondering if Mr. Luker might be Jewish - his descriptions (e.g. as a "wretched creature") and depiction as a greedy usurer certainly fit with some anti-Semitic stereotypes. I googled the name - turns out "Luker" is idiomatic Australian english for "money"!

Rachel in the eyes of Mr. Bruff is more similar to the character we know from Beteredge's narrative than to the one described by Clack (a different construction perhaps?)

Interesting that the word "misconstruction" is repeated twice so closely in the text in reference to Rachel (once in a direct quote by her and once by Mr. Bruff). Could serve to highlight that her very character is being constructed by outside observers, rather than objectively perceived.

Clearly, our narrator is jealous of Miss Verinder, which may bias her account.

We are used to reading such descriptions about women; perhaps the bias was of the male narrator, rather than the author.

Interesting medical advice. I wonder what the doctor diagnosed - medicine was more art than science at the time, and it appears that the distinction between psychiatry and medicine wasn't really a. thing.

The introduction is somewhat surprising considering the text is addressed from the narrator to Mr. Blake. This parenthetical acknowledgment of her forgiveness is perhaps meant to mitigate the somewhat aggressive nature of the text, or, from the authors perspective, to make it more realistic.

Both here, and previously when he "looked back like a lamb" at Betteredge, I suspect the narrator is projecting his own feelings; from everything else we know about the Sergeant, it appears unlikely he would be flustered by such displays.

This passages marks the first time Betteredge exercises his signature humor since the tragic discovery of Rosanna's death.

Betteredge has previously remarked on differences between the upper class and its servants, usually in a more humorous light. Here we have a solemn observation on the emotional labor required of the working class.

The male characters' obsession with how Rosanna is "ugly" and cruelty about it never ceases to amaze me

The adjectives Betteredge uses to describe the Sergeant appear to be escalating in their negativity (could be investigated computationally).

Did Betteredge really succeed in deceiving the Sergeant, or is the Sergeant flattering him to get him to tell the truth?

The sergeant's nonchalance here evokes the trope of the wise detective, which may have seen it's start here.

Here, more explicitly than before, we see the religious qualities Betteredge ascribes to Robinson Crusoe as a text - "believe in Robinson Crusoe"

Who is he addressing this to? Readers of the novel, which also includes other narrator? This would seem (to me) unusual for the time, so I wonder what the context is

Even though he constantly tried to downplay his belief in the superstitious, it seems that Betteredge does ascribe the Moonstone sueprnatural powers.

Interesting switch to direct speech without breaking the narration, presumably meant to transport the readers to the scene.

I wonder if this whole passage is somehow self-referential and a reference to how multiple times so far, the narrator announces they'll be discussing one topic and then abruptly shift to another.

It is interesting how Betteredge professes not to believe in the superstitious in the first sentence immediately following his insinuation that he had experienced a prophecy. Perhaps this is meant to circumvent the readers' own skepticism.