The deleterious reactions of a love that could never be Wuthering Heights was written at a time when social structure and culture were very important. All people belonged to a specific class based on their family's reputation and wealth. Catherine was considered to be of a higher social class than Heathcliff because she was part of a wealthy family with a large estate while Heathcliff was just a laborer. This significant gap between their social statuses was a determining factor in the success of their love. Due to the economic forces of the time, Catherine was motivated to leave Heathcliff for a man of higher status and more power. Thus, the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff never develops into a true, healthy love due to their separation. Despite Catherine's desires for status, she and Heathcliff shared a mutual love that was both childlike and obsessive. Their separation proved almost unbearable due to Heathcliff's extreme reactions to Catherine's marriage to Edgar. Due to Catherine's abandonment, he felt that he was not worried enough to marry Catherine. He therefore disappeared in order to gain social status and wealth. Their love for each other became more evident upon Heathcliff's return. However, Heathcliff's return did more harm than good by stirring up emotions that had not been touched in any of the characters' lives for a long time. Their unbalanced emotions and mutual obsessions caused by their distinct social status lead them to torture and death. In the late 1700s and early 1800s when this novel took place, the social structure of British society was very important. At the top of society was royalty, followed by the aristocracy. These two classes occupied great social positions. Then there were the nobility who owned many servants and large estates, but held little or no social position. Finally, there was the lower class, which made up the majority of the population. The Earnshaw family of Wuthering Heights held a position of weak nobility compared to the Lintons of the Grange, who had carriages and a larger estate. Public appearance was an important factor in determining a person's social status. The Heights had no cars and their public appearance diminished when the Mister and Mistress of the house died, leading to a lowering of their status. Catherine's family was no longer stable in their nobility position due to the death of her parents..