In the book he is portrayed as a crude and ignorant servant with a compassionate heart. He is the most misunderstood character in the novel, everyone treats him at his face value instead of knowing what kind of person he really is. Now, the film's lack of character depth doesn't lie with Hareton himself; instead, it's about understanding Hareton's role within the story. In the book Hindley treats Heathcliff like a slave who ends his education and forces him to work as a servant. As part of his revenge against those who harmed him, Heathcliff treats Hareton the same way Hindley treated him. But in the film he doesn't have the uncultured nature that he has in the book. Hareton becomes a blank slate and hardly plays a role beyond that of being young Catherine's love interest for the "happy”.