At the beginning of the novel, Winky is Mr. Crouch's house-elf. She takes her job seriously and lectures Harry on the proper way for a house-elf to behave--a house-elf, in her opinion, does as they're told and keeps their master's secrets. Because of this, she looks down on Dobby, a free elf who wants to be paid. Hours later, when Mr. Crouch fires Winky, it seems to Hermione that her firing was unjust and unprompted, but the reader later learns that for the last twelve years, Winky had been caring for Barty Crouch and was tasked with keeping him in the tent, which she failed to do. Later in the fall she and Dobby take jobs in the Hogwarts kitchens. Winky never adjusts to life outside the Crouch home. She neglects her clothes, remains loyal to the Crouch family, refuses payment, and continues to lecture Harry and Hermione about how house-elves should behave. Eventually she turns to butterbeer, which is extremely strong for a house-elf, and becomes an alcoholic.