This question is regarding Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Chapter 24 (also known as Volume II Chapter V).
Mr Jaggers has two casts in his office, revealed by Wemmick to be death masks of his former clients.
Wemmick says they are
Famous clients of ours that gave us a world of credit.
But he then reveals that these were the masks made after the criminals were executed
The cast was made in Newgate, directly after he was taken down
So my understanding is these were Mr Jaggers' clients and they were executed for their crimes.
If they were executed for their crimes, why did Mr Jaggers (the man hired to defend them) get a world of credit? Or am I misunderstanding the word 'client' here? Because it seems odd to me that he and Wemmick would keep reminders of their clients who were executed, rather than ones who they stopped from being executed.
Sorry if I am totally missing the point, which I feel I may be.
Many thanks
(I am quoting from 1996 Penguin Classics edition)