Because Bleak House has two narrators, there are two distinct tones in the novel. Narrator one, a third person omniscient voice, mostly written in the present tense, has a somber and at times bitter tonal quality. However, they are also witty, at times irreverent, and highly observant of social nuance. Dickens uses this narrator to decry the injustices of the court system and of the limits that English social norms and institutions place on people. This narrator is primarily interested in politics, and in the larger messages of the book.
The second narrator is the first-person voice of Esther Summerson. The sections which Dickens writes in her voice are highly emotional and sentimental, prioritizing feelings and relationships more than Dickens's other narrator. There's an air of naïveté to her, as Esther explores the world around her and grows from childhood to adulthood. This gives these passages both a more conflicted and a more hopeful tone, as Esther's reactions and her general optimism affect how events are recounted.
Because the novel was published in serial form, it contains that form's typical tonal variations within its rapidly advancing and dramatic plot, and is filled with melodramatic events and cliffhangers. The tone of the first narrator harangues the reader, asking them to reflect on their own failings and faults. It alternates between pessimism, satire, and dark humor as it makes connections between the small events of everyday life and the larger political events happening in the world. This narrator is sometimes actually serious, but their straight-faced delivery is also part of the novel's comedy: funny events are sometimes made funnier by being described so grimly, and happy events take on a reflective tone as the narrator provides nuance. "Esther," by contrast, is mostly receptive, blithe, and somewhat cheerful about the events she undergoes, conveying this tonally to the reader.
