Part One opens with Davids birth, which occurs shortly after the death of his father. Great Aunt Betsey arrives for the event, eagerly anticipating a girl. Thwarted in her wishes, she leaves in disgust, never to return. Young David has a happy childhood, with a memorable visit to his nanny Peggottys relatives, who live in a ship house on the coast. On his return, he finds his mother has married Mr. Murdstone, a paranoid disciplinarian. After David bites Murdstone during a beating, the boy is sent to a boarding school run by the severe Mr. Creakle. There, he falls under the protection of Steerforth, an older student. The school is the least of Murdstones torments, for when Davids mother dies the stepfather sends him to work at a sweatshop in London. Again, David finds a patron--this time Mr. Micawber, a profligate family man with whom he lodges. But Micawber is soon sent to debtors prison, and David is homeless. Destitute, he walks to Dover where he has heard his Aunt Betsey lives. She offers him a nurturing home, shared with her lovable, lunatic lodger, Mr. Dick. The first part closes as David matures into a young man, with bright prospects before him.