Roger Chillingworth is compared to a leech. Hawthorne describes Chillingworth as being attached to Dimmsdale. He wants to "cure" Dimmsdale, which leechs were used to cure people. Roger is trying to suck the information out of Dimmsdale, just like a leech. In the early years of his marrige to Hester, he was very distant, but expected her to nourish him. He can not have relationships with the people around him but he feeds off others.
The irony is that the only way for Dimmesdale to be cured is to confess his sin to the public. Unfortunately Chillingworth is trying to suck the truth from Dimmesdale for his own cruel reasons.
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