In the novel Silas Marner, by George Eliot, the characters are in search of happiness. A character named Godfrey Cass is disappointed in his quest when relying on wealth and luck, instead of love, does not lead him to happiness. Another character, Silas Marner, first watches a pile of gold consume his life until he begins to love and care for a child, who finally brings him happiness. The lives of these characters show that wealth or material objects do not bring as much happiness as love. Godfrey Cass believes he can use his wealth to buy happiness in place of the love he has neglected to give. In the novel he has a daughter named Eppie who he disowns for eighteen years. After eighteen years, Godfrey wants her back to fill a hole in his life and make him happy. He believes his wealth can replace his lost love. He admits this when talking to Eppie, "even though I haven't been what a father should have been to you all these years, I want to do everything I can for you for the rest of my life and provide for you as best I can." my only son” (714). However, Eppie "cannot feel as if [she] had had another father," (715), meaning Silas Marner, who has cared for her and loved her for sixteen years. The lack of love that Godfrey gave to Eppie cannot be replaced with wealth, and Godfrey's life must remain incomplete. Silas Marner was once incomplete and unhappy even when he was "cut off from faith and love" (602) and lived only to gather a treasure of gold. He shut out the rest of the world and any love he had for anything with it. “Her life had been reduced to the functions of weaving and hoarding” (602). In this life with only gold and no love, Silas was an unhappy and lonely man. Later in his life, when he is happy, he remembers counting his gold every night and "how completely desolate his soul was" (710). He remains in this sad position for fifteen years until his gold is lost and replaced with something to love. When Silas loses his gold, he begins to experience happiness again after opening up to a child. The little girl, Eppie, replaces Silas' gold, but unlike gold, requires a person's love and care..