# Missing explained — Little Dorrit

> Chapter companion for Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

Mr. Dorrit, nearing the end of his London visit, is visited by Flora Finching, who implores him to search for the missing Monsieur Blandois. He then visits the Clennam house to investigate, but finds Mrs. Clennam and Mr. Flintwinch uncooperative and evasive.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrecy and Revelation

The chapter revolves around the mystery of Blandois's disappearance, with characters withholding information and seeking to uncover the truth.

### Social Class and Hypocrisy

Mr. Dorrit's discomfort with Flora's mention of his family's past and his attempts to assert his importance highlight class pretensions.

### Bureaucracy and Institutional Corruption

The evasive and uncooperative attitude of Mrs. Clennam and Mr. Flintwinch mirrors the opacity of institutional processes.

## Character check-ins

### William Dorrit

Mr. Dorrit is visited by Flora Finching and later goes to the Clennam house to inquire about Blandois's disappearance.

### Flora Casby

Flora Finching visits Mr. Dorrit to plead with him to search for the missing Blandois.

### Mrs. Clennam

Mrs. Clennam is questioned by Mr. Dorrit about Blandois's disappearance but gives curt, unhelpful answers.

### Mr. Flintwinch

Mr. Flintwinch is present during Mr. Dorrit's visit and echoes Mrs. Clennam's evasive responses.

### Monsieur Rigaud

Monsieur Blandois is the missing foreign gentleman whose disappearance is the subject of the handbill and the inquiry.

### Henry Gowan

Mr. Dorrit mentions Henry Gowan as an acquaintance of Blandois in Italy.

## Key lines

> Then my humble and pressing entreaty is the more,” said Flora, “that in travelling back you will have the kindness to look for this foreign gentleman along all the roads and up and down all the turnings and to make inquiries for him at all the hotels and orange-trees and vineyards and volcanoes and places for he must be somewhere and why doesn’t he come forward and say he’s there and clear all parties up?

Flora begs Mr. Dorrit to search everywhere for the missing foreign gentleman, insisting he must be somewhere and should come forward to resolve the mystery.

_Flora's rambling plea emphasizes the urgency and confusion surrounding Blandois's disappearance._

> I account for it, sir,” she pursued after an awkward silence on Mr. Dorrit’s part, “by having no doubt that he is travelling somewhere, or hiding somewhere.”

Mrs. Clennam says she believes Blandois is either traveling or hiding, but offers no further explanation.

_Mrs. Clennam's curt response frustrates Mr. Dorrit's attempt to gain information._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xvii-missing
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters