# Sharpshooters explained — Bleak House

> Chapter companion for Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

On a wintry morning in Leicester Square, Mr. George and his assistant Phil prepare for the day at the shooting gallery. Their routine is interrupted by the arrival of Grandfather Smallweed and his granddaughter Judy, who have come to persuade Mr. George to assist a lawyer seeking a sample of Captain Hawdon's handwriting. After some reluctance, Mr. George retrieves a document from his cupboard and agrees to accompany Smallweed to meet the lawyer.

## Themes in this chapter

### Appearance vs. Reality

The chapter opens with a description of a colony of brigands living under false names, false hair, and false histories, highlighting the contrast between outward appearances and hidden truths.

### Secrets and Identity

Grandfather Smallweed's visit revolves around obtaining a sample of Captain Hawdon's handwriting, underscoring the ongoing search for hidden identities and buried secrets.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. George

Owner of the shooting gallery; prepares for the day with Phil, then receives a visit from Grandfather Smallweed and agrees to help with a handwriting sample.

### Phil Squod

Mr. George's assistant; helps with chores and breakfast, and later carries Grandfather Smallweed to the cab.

### Mr. Smallweed

Visits the shooting gallery with his granddaughter Judy to persuade Mr. George to provide a sample of Captain Hawdon's handwriting for a lawyer.

### Judy Smallweed

Grandfather Smallweed's granddaughter; accompanies him and assists during the visit.

## Key lines

> Wintry morning, looking with dull eyes and sallow face upon the neighbourhood of Leicester Square, finds its inhabitants unwilling to get out of bed.

A cold, gloomy morning in Leicester Square makes its residents reluctant to leave their beds.

_Sets the atmospheric tone for the chapter, emphasizing the dreary winter setting._

> Behind dingy blind and curtain, in upper story and garret, skulking more or less under false names, false hair, false titles, false jewellery, and false histories, a colony of brigands lie in their first sleep.

In the dimly lit rooms and attics, a group of criminals hides behind fake names, appearances, and stories, sleeping off the night.

_Introduces the theme of deception and the criminal underworld of Leicester Square._

> Mr. George, having shaved himself before a looking-glass of minute proportions, then marches out, bareheaded and bare-chested, to the pump in the little yard and anon comes back shining with yellow soap, friction, drifting rain, and exceedingly cold water.

Depicts Mr. George's rugged morning routine, highlighting his physical vigor and discipline.

> Perhaps this morning’s pipe is devoted to the memory of Gridley in his grave.

Maybe Mr. George is smoking his pipe this morning in remembrance of the deceased Gridley.

_Connects to the earlier character Gridley, suggesting Mr. George's reflective mood._

> I had no such thing. I have nothing but his signature. Plague pestilence and famine, battle murder and sudden death upon him, says the old man, making a curse out of one of his few remembrances of a prayer and squeezing up his velvet cap between his angry hands, I have half a million of his signatures, I think!

Grandfather Smallweed claims he has only Captain Hawdon's signature, cursing him with a twisted version of a prayer, and says he has hundreds of thousands of signatures.

_Reveals Smallweed's obsession with Captain Hawdon and his financial grievances._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxvi-sharpshooters
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bleak_house_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters