Question

Explain the tea ritual in manderley...

Answer 1

Even though Maxim makes his life altering confession, the narrator notices that the tea ritual carries on unchanged, “No crisis can break through the crust of habit.”

Answer 2

Tea is part of the well-ordered routine at Manderley. It is served by Frith and a footman in "a stately little performance." It occurs at 4:30 in the afternoon. This is significant, because it is earlier than poorer people would have tea, indicating that a dinner will be served later.