LOLOL that's one of my favourite moments in ALL of EngLit because it's so wild and meta. A critic said something like, it's as if Eliot suddenly knocks over the scenery and you see the actual winches and pulleys and supports holding the narrative together. And she does drag us through Casaubon's psyche and what a horrifying trip it is. I don't think I ever did feel empathy for Casaubon (he's just way too mean to Dorothea). I do think Eliot managed to make me feel empathy for Bulstrode in his final walk of shame, if I'm remembering the plot right.

(Hmmm, Dorothea and Casaubon is sort of like a nightmare reflection of Marianne and Col Brandon....)