Far from the Madding Crowd Lesson Plan

What do you make of Gabriel's reluctance to tell Bathsheba about Troy's drunkenness, even though this would prove that the was right to mistrust Troy? What does this show about Gabriel's love for Bathsheba?

Gabriel's love for Bathsheba is entirely unselfish. Though he still longs to take care of her and call her his own, he is willing to sacrifice anything for her comfort and happiness. Because of this, he would rather protect her from the knowledge of Troy's shortcomings than show them to her, since he knows they could distress her. Of course, he does try to prevent her from marrying Troy in the first place, but this is because he is afraid that Troy will not treat...