Anthea is fascinating, because she manages to break out of her awful home situation and make a life for herself with no help from anybody--but in doing so she has to abandon Conrad, whom she has essentially raised. As much as she justifiably resents being put in that position, and less justifiably but perfectly understandably resents him, that can't have been an easy choice, or one without regrets.

(Also I suspect that she once made a dressing gown for Christopher. It is covered in hippopotamuses and he loves it.)