I want to understand the connections between Rochester, Richard Mason, and Jane’s family. How did they know each other?

The connections among Edward Rochester, Richard Mason, and Jane Eyre’s family are intricate but indirect, involving marriage, inheritance, and colonial ties. Here's a breakdown of how their relationships intersect:

I. Edward Rochester and Richard Mason

Their Relationship

• Richard Mason is the brother of Bertha Mason, the woman Rochester married in Jamaica.
• Rochester’s father arranged the marriage for financial gain, marrying Edward off to Bertha for her family’s fortune.
• Richard Mason and Rochester are thus brothers-in-law through this ill-fated colonial marriage.

Key Details

• The Masons are a wealthy Creole family from the West Indies (Spanish Town, Jamaica).
• Rochester did not know about Bertha’s hereditary madness prior to the marriage; the Mason family concealed this.
• Richard Mason periodically visits Thornfield to check on his sister, who is secretly confined there.

II. Edward Rochester and Jane Eyre

Their Relationship

• Jane Eyre becomes governess to Adèle Varens, Rochester’s ward, at Thornfield Hall.
• She and Rochester develop a romantic relationship, but this is dramatically interrupted by the revelation of his existing marriage to Bertha Mason—Richard’s sister.

There is no blood relation or prior social connection between Rochester and Jane before she comes to Thornfield. Their worlds intersect only by employment and later affection.