The plot of The Woman in White revolves around power relations between men and women in society at large and particularly within marriage. The central mystery leads back to the circumstances of Sir Percival’s parents’ relationship and ripples outward into his abusive treatment of his wife and Anne Catherick. Marriage is so foundational to society and illegitimacy so stigmatized (including legally), that Sir Percival will resort to criminal methods to pass his parents off as married. At the same time, as Sir Percival’s legal exploitation of Laura demonstrates, marriage itself is a deeply flawed institution that strips women of their already limited rights.

Collins thus creates a mystery plot around crimes committed within what he considers an unjust gender hierarchy, depicting marriage as a potentially corrupt and corrupting social convention at the root of many injustices. Madame Fosco might be an accessory to villainous behavior, but she is also a victim of patriarchal control. Her brother disinherits her because he disapproves of her husband, and her husband “tames” her like she is one of his pets. Before her marriage she had vocally supported women’s rights; afterward, she is approvingly described as “so much quieter, and so much more sensible as a wife than she was as a single woman” (229).