George Eliot's novel Silas Marner is a testament to the saying that "good things come to those who wait." Silas Marner, the namesake of the work, is a humble weaver who has been virtually outcast from his former neighborhood town of Lantern Yard based on the untrue claims that he was a thief. He comes to the town of Raveloe, where he continues his trade, yet his story intertwines with that of two brothers, Godfrey and Dunsey, the latter of whom is a conniving trickster. Silas, having little money to begin with, becomes obsessed with counting his small fortune that he keeps hidden in his cottage, and through a series of events involving the two brothers, that money is stolen, devastating Silas.

As the novel continues, the listener is made aware of a secret marriage between two of the characters, though the husband of that union has set his sights on conquering another young lady in the town of Raveloe. Silas, still overcome with grief at the loss of his money, has begun to trust the members of the community, who offer him guidance and sympathetic ears. It is not long before good things begin to come his way in the form of a baby girl, new friends, and a revamped cottage while the conniving brother, Dunsey, gets exactly what he deserves.