For all of the humor that comes from Mr. Barkis's wooing, he and Peggotty have a strong marriage. Mr. Barkis is incredibly cheap, but he's saving all of his money so that he will have something to leave the Peggotty family, and his wife in particular, when he dies. As he's lying on his deathbed, he turns to Peggotty and tells her that there is "no better woman anywhere!" (30.72), which, we have to say, made us tear up. Mr. Barkis isn't really in the novel for much more than comic relief and a tearjerker ending, but he's a memorable character, for all of that.