In 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of the girl who befriends Jane at Lowood?

In “Jane Eyre,” the girl who befriends Jane at Lowood is Helen Burns. Helen is an older pupil whose patience, compassion, and religious faith strongly influence Jane during their difficult time at the school.

Lowood Institution is a harsh charity school for poor and orphaned girls, overseen by the hypocritical Mr Brocklehurst. Jane meets Helen soon after arriving and is struck by the way Helen endures public punishment without returning hatred for those who mistreat her. Their friendship gives Jane emotional support while she adjusts to the school’s discipline and deprivation.

Helen’s calm Christian philosophy contrasts with Jane’s passionate sense of injustice. Jane does not simply adopt Helen’s outlook, but Helen helps broaden her understanding of forgiveness and self-control. Helen later dies of consumption, now understood as tuberculosis, and Jane holds her during her final hours.

Readers sometimes confuse Helen with Miss Temple, the kind superintendent who becomes an adult mentor, or Adèle Varens, the French child Jane later teaches at Thornfield Hall. Helen Burns is the canonical answer for Jane’s close school friend at Lowood.