The want of house or brass (by which I suppose you mean money) does not make a beggar in your sense of the word.
Chapter 29 · Jane Eyre
Context
Jane continues her rebuttal to Hannah, clarifying that lacking material resources does not define one's social identity as a beggar.
Analysis
Jane's parenthetical aside '(by which I suppose you mean money)' translates Hannah's dialect term 'brass' into standard English, a small act of linguistic correction that asserts Jane's education even as she defends her dignity. The word 'want' here means 'lack,' but it also carries the older sense of need—Jane is distinguishing between lacking something and being defined by that lack. Her phrase 'in your sense of the word' subtly indicts Hannah's definition as narrow, implying Jane holds a more sophisticated understanding.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Jane uses linguistic precision as a class marker—even destitute, she distinguishes herself through diction, showing that education remains the one form of capital she can't lose.