A patronizing disposition always has its meaner side.

Eliot’s line targets the moral and psychological underside of “patronizing” behavior: what presents itself as kindness, guidance, or superior refinement often contains an implicit assertion of rank. To patronize is to place oneself above another—granting approval, help, or attention in a way that diminishes the recipient’s agency and equality. The “meaner side” is the concealed contempt or self-congratulation that can accompany such gestures, turning benevolence into a subtle form of domination. The remark fits Eliot’s broader ethical realism: she repeatedly exposes how social virtue can be entangled with vanity, class prejudice, and the desire to feel important.