His body, which had been beautiful in movement and in being, shrank, did not seem to ripen with the years, but to get mean and rather despicable.

There came over him a look of meanness and of paltriness.

And when the mean-looking elderly man bullied or ordered the boy about, Arthur was furious.
Moreover, Morel's manners got worse and worse, his habits somewhat disgusting.

When the children were growing up and in the crucial stage of adolescence, the father was like some ugly irritant to their souls.
His manners in the house were the same as he used among the colliers down pit.
"Dirty nuisance!" Arthur would cry, jumping up and going straight out of the house when his father disgusted him.

And Morel persisted the more because his children hated it.