The Bench Must Go!

"'We will say that he was unexpectedly found at his forge again. Is it not a pity that he should keep it by him?"..."In her [his daughter's] name, then, let it [the destruction of the "forge"] be done; I sanction it!" (211-2)
This is a sample passage from the discussion Mr. Lorry has with Dr. Manette about "another man's" habits and "blacksmith work." Previously in the chapter, Dr. Manette gives us various hints to show that he is well aware that this third party person Mr. Lorry says he is speaking of is him, Dr. Manette, and from this passage we learn that Dr. Manette realizes that he needs to take more steps in order to put his past imprisonment behind him. He orders Mr. Lorry to dispose of the bench because he realizes that holding on to this stunts his recovery process. We also see from this part of the novel that Dr. Manette realizes getting over the past may not be as easy as he may like. He tells Mr. Lorry that they should remove it when the prisoner is not there, implying that Dr. Manette knows how hard letting go of this reminder of the past may be. It would be even more difficult to have to witness the bench's destruction for Dr. Manette. If Mr. Lorry destroys it while he is away, Dr. Manette knows that stopping the destruction will not be an option because he will not be present and won't know the exact time of the bench's removal.
Earlier in the novel, it is more the other characters that see how this bench and the constant reminder of imprisonment is halting Dr. Manette's progress, but through this passage we see that Dr. Manette is finally realizing this for himself. Lastly, he realizes that the disposal of the bench will ultimately be helping both himself and Lucie, as she must deal with the pains and consequences that the bench brings to the household as well.