What does “acquire over” mean?
I perceive that people in these regions acquire over people in towns the value that a spider in a dungeon does over a spider in a cottage, to their various occupants; and yet the deepened attraction is not entirely owing to the situation of the looker-on. (Wuthering Heights)

Hi. I have several questions about this text.
1. What does “acquire over” mean?
2. What does “to their various occupants” mean?
3. What does “deepened attraction” refer to?

Thank you.

Question

What does “acquire over” mean?
I perceive that people in these regions acquire over people in towns the value that a spider in a dungeon does over a spider in a cottage, to their various occupants; and yet the deepened attraction is not entirely owing to the situation of the looker-on. (Wuthering Heights)

Hi. I have several questions about this text.
1. What does “acquire over” mean?
2. What does “to their various occupants” mean?
3. What does “deepened attraction” refer to?

Thank you.

Answer

Luckily, you're not the first one with this question:

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/wuthering-heights-the-value-that-a-spider-in-a-dungeon.661663/

(note to others that the significance of the quote in question may not be possible to decipher, unless you read a bit more of the context it is related to).

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