# Who Passes by This Road So Late? explained — Little Dorrit

> Chapter companion for Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

Arthur Clennam, preoccupied with the mysterious man he saw at his mother's house, is startled when his clerk Cavalletto recognizes the man from the handbill as an assassin he knew in Marseilles. Cavalletto reveals the man's violent past and his own fear of him. Meanwhile, Daniel Doyce departs for a journey, leaving Arthur to pursue the matter of the missing man alone.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrecy and Revelation

Arthur's discovery that the mysterious man is an assassin reveals hidden dangers and deepens the mystery surrounding his mother's past.

### Imprisonment and Confinement

Cavalletto's past imprisonment in Marseilles and the assassin's criminal history evoke themes of confinement and escape.

## Character check-ins

### Arthur Clennam

Preoccupied with the mysterious man from his mother's house; learns from Cavalletto that the man is an assassin.

### Signor Cavalletto

Recognizes the man from the handbill as an assassin he knew in Marseilles; agrees to help Arthur find him.

### Daniel Doyce

Departs for a journey, leaving Arthur to pursue the matter of the invention and the missing man.

### Mr. Pancks

Mentioned as having looked in earlier; described as a cautious fellow.

## Key lines

> Who passes by this road so late? Compagnon de la Majolaine ; Who passes by this road so late? Always gay!

Arthur recalls the song the mysterious man hummed when they stood together, linking the tune to his current anxiety.

_The song becomes a motif connecting Arthur's memory to the present danger._

> A prisoner, and— Altro! I believe yes!—an, Assassin!

Cavalletto reveals that the man was a prisoner and an assassin in Marseilles.

_This revelation shocks Arthur and intensifies his concern about his mother's connection to the man._

> I want you to grant a request of mine. ... except that I will abandon your invention.

Doyce asks Arthur to give up pursuing the patent for his invention, but Arthur refuses.

_Arthur's determination to seek justice contrasts with Doyce's weary resignation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxii-who-passes-by-this-road-so-late
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters