Fortunately, though both her parents are now dead and her brother in Spain, Margaret is not alone. Indeed, she practically has people fighting over who will take her in. Mr. Bell- her godfather- wishes to adopt her and take her to Oxford. Aunt Shaw and Edith, however, are determined that she return to London to live. Though he can't say anything, both of these options are dismaying to Mr. Thornton since the result is the same: Margaret will leave Milton.
We also see here how unwilling John is to make a display of his feelings. There can be no doubt of his deep and abiding love for Margaret, but Thornton is a very private and self-contained person. This is frequently misinterpreted as meaning that he is hard or unfeeling, but actually the reverse is true: the more he feels, the less he is able to express it.
While Thornton is careful not to intrude on the workers' territory- the dining hall- Higgins and a few of the other men begin to occasionally ask him in to share a meal. As Mr. Bell says, "Nothing like the act of eating for equalizing men." The workers gradually thaw out enough to begin to talk with John and- more importantly- joke with him. While this isn't a guarantee that there will never be worker/owner disputes again, it may render them less acrimonious when they occur; it's hard to regard someone as an enemy after you've shared a laugh and a meal with them.