What is the van referring to in novel Jane Eyre Bronte speaking of a line students at Lowood Institution.?

You're likely thinking of a passage in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë where students at Lowood Institution are lined up for their meals.

The passage you're referring to doesn't specifically mention a "van," but it does describe the students lined up in a "long, straight rank" and compares them to "rows of cards at a game of cribbage." This creates an image of the students being rigidly organized and tightly packed, highlighting the regimented and controlled nature of life at Lowood.

While "van" might not be a direct word used, the imagery of a long line of students, like cards in a game, evokes a sense of uniformity and lack of individual agency, which is often associated with the cramped and spartan conditions at Lowood.