They picked him foul and witless from the cobbles, and brought him home. . . . And always they handled him with tender care, fee
ling something strange and proud and glorious lost in [him]. . . . He was a stranger to them: no one—not even Eliza—ever called him by his first name. He was—and remained thereafter—"Mister" Gant. . . . Which best describes the townspeople’s view of Oliver Gant?
I think the answer is characterization (I originally said plot but I just realized that I made a mistake when I was reading. Sorry about that! Hope I didn't mess anything up for you.) :D