Maxim de Winter and Jack Favell

Maxim de Winter and Jack Favell are antagonists whose mutual hatred predates the novel's present action and is driven by Favell's role as Rebecca de Winter's lover and cousin. Their relationship is defined by Maxim's absolute refusal to allow Favell on the Manderley estate and Favell's persistent, menacing attempts to exploit his connection to Rebecca for financial gain. The conflict reaches its climax after the inquest into Rebecca's death, when Favell openly accuses Maxim of murder and attempts blackmail, only to be thwarted by the revelation of Rebecca's terminal illness.

Origins of Hostility

The enmity between the two men stems from Favell's long-standing affair with Rebecca, which Maxim discovered and repeatedly tried to suppress. Maxim's jealousy was so intense that he forbade Favell from setting foot on Manderley property while Rebecca was alive, a prohibition he maintained after her death. When Favell visits Mrs Danvers during Maxim's absence in London, Maxim confronts the housekeeper with a furious ultimatum: "You can write and tell him from me to keep away from Manderley in future, do you hear?... I won't have him inside the gates, do you understand? Remember, I'm warning you for the last time" . This outburst reveals that Maxim's hatred is not merely retrospective but actively policed, and that he holds Mrs Danvers complicit in facilitating Favell's access to the estate.

The Confrontation After the Inquest

The evening after the inquest, Favell forces his way into Manderley and confronts Maxim in the library. He produces a note from Rebecca written on the day she died—"I'm going down to Manders right away. I shall be at the cottage this evening... I've got something to tell you and I want to see you as soon as possible"—and uses it to argue that Rebecca would never have committed suicide. Favell then makes his accusation explicit: "Rebecca was murdered. And if you want to know who the murderer is, why there he stands, by the window there" . He follows this with a direct blackmail demand, proposing a settlement of two or three thousand a year for life in exchange for his silence. Maxim refuses, and when Favell threatens to produce Ben as a witness who saw Maxim on the beach the night Rebecca died, Maxim telephones Colonel Julyan, the local magistrate, to come to Manderley and hear the accusation.

The Collapse of Favell's Case

Colonel Julyan's arrival shifts the balance of power. Favell's attempt to use Ben as a witness fails when the terrified, mentally disabled man denies ever having seen Favell, let alone any incriminating event. Julyan dismisses Favell's case as lacking proof and warns him that blackmail is a serious offense. The decisive blow comes the following day, when Maxim, Julyan, and Favell travel to consult Doctor Baker, the specialist Rebecca visited on the day she died. Baker reveals that Rebecca was suffering from a terminal, inoperable cancer and would have been dead within months. Favell, visibly shaken by the news, mutters, "This cancer business... does anybody know if it's contagious?" . His threat collapses: the motive for suicide is established, and any case for murder is destroyed. Julyan warns Favell that as a magistrate he has the power to deal with blackmail, and Favell, defeated, watches Maxim and Julyan drive away, laughing bitterly but unable to act.

Significance

The Maxim-Favell relationship is the novel's final, most dangerous test of Maxim's secret. Favell is the only character besides Mrs Danvers who knows enough about Rebecca's private life to pose a credible threat, and his willingness to use that knowledge for blackmail makes him the embodiment of the past that Maxim cannot escape. The conflict also exposes the limits of Maxim's control: he can banish Favell from the estate, but he cannot prevent him from returning to exploit the discovery of Rebecca's boat. Favell's defeat comes not through Maxim's strength but through the revelation of Rebecca's illness—a truth that, ironically, vindicates Maxim while also confirming that Rebecca manipulated everyone, including Favell, to the end.