After multiple contacts with what she claims are ghosts, the governess assumes her ghosts are evil so that she can become the role of savior to the children. What the governess says is the ghost of Ms. Jessel, is actually the governess's fear to be her own downfall. The governess dares not be dissapproved by her employer which would result in catastrophe for herself by losing her position at Bly, perhaps even death as had been endured by Ms. Jessel, the previous governess.
The governess was particularly paranoid about the children's interaction with the ghosts she had created in her mind. The governess swayed spiratically and uncontrollably back and forth in thought of Miles being evil. She believed Miles distracted her while he played the piano to allow Flora to go meet with the ghost of Ms. Jessel and Miles speak with Quint. In this hunt for Flora, and the girl denying seeing the ghost of Ms. Jessel, the governess began to think of Flora as physically old and ugly, rebuking her previous thoughts of Flora's beauty like an angel.
After Flora denied seeing the governess's ghost of Ms. Jessel by the lake, the governess hurled insults at the shaken girl untill Ms. Grose took Flora away from the governess demented grasp. The governess then thought Flora was won over by the ghost and condemned in the governess's eyes. After feeling she had lost Flora to the ghost, when in reality the governess had scared the child to death, Miles still shown to be a ray of hope for the demented governess. She refused to leave him alone and began to become angry and suspicious of his corutpion when he would ask of his desire for schooling.
