I haven’t read Emily of New Moon in like, a decade, but a thought has just struck me with some intensity: Allan Burnley was a total douche.

As a kid, I was impressionable and completely swayed by whatever the author wanted me to think and never critically analyzed anything (though even I thought Dean Priest was freaking weird. “I’ll wait”?“I’ll wait”? Dude).

So Dr. Burnley with the wife who ran off and the gruff bedside manner but who ultimately cared for his patients was a nice guy, right? NO. Thought your wife’d run off so you completely neglected your love-starved daughter for a decade? What a total ass.