Showing that old friends may not only appear with new faces, but in false colours. That people are prone to bite, and that biters may sometimes be bitten. explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Greed and Corruption

  The Anglo-Bengalee Company is a fraudulent scheme, and Tigg Montague's lavish lifestyle is built on deception. Jonas is tempted by the promise of easy money, highlighting the corrupting influence of greed.

• Deception and Trust

  The entire company is a facade, from the porter's impressive waistcoat to the false promises of perpetual bonuses. Tigg's manipulation of Jonas shows how trust is exploited for gain.

Characters to notice

• Bailey

  Now Mr. Bailey Junior, a cab driver for Tigg Montague, showing off his sporting character and driving skills in Pall Mall.

• Tigg Montague

  Now chairman of the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Company, dressed in fine clothes and jewels, attempting to recruit Jonas Chuzzlewit.

• Jonas Chuzzlewit

  Visits the Anglo-Bengalee office, recognizes Tigg from Pecksniff's parlour, and is tempted by Tigg's offer to join the fraudulent scheme.

• Poll Sweedlepipe

  Mentioned as a friend of Bailey, to whom Bailey had hinted about his adventures.

• David Crimple

  Secretary and resident Director of the Anglo-Bengalee, originally named Crimp, now a managing director accompanying Tigg.

Key passages

• “Mr. ¬ÝBailey, Junior, just tall enough to be seen by an inquiring eye, gazing indolently at society from beneath the apron of his master‚Äôs cab, drove slowly up and down Pall Mall about the hour of noon, in waiting for his ‚ÄúGovernor.‚Äù”

  Bailey, now a young cab driver, lazily surveyed the passersby as he drove his master's cab in Pall Mall at midday.

  Introduces Bailey's new role as a cab driver for Tigg Montague.

• “The horse of distinguished family, who had Capricorn for his nephew, and Cauliflower for his brother, showed himself worthy of his high relations by champing at the bit until his chest was white with foam, and rearing like a horse in heraldry;”

  The horse, with fancy names for its relatives, was spirited and foamed at the mouth, rearing up impressively.

  Humorous description of the horse's lineage and behavior.

• “Mr. ¬ÝBailey had a great opinion of brother to Cauliflower, and estimated his powers highly. But he never told him so. On the contrary, it was his practice, in driving that animal, to assail him with disrespectful, if not injurious, expressions, as, ‚ÄúAh! would you!‚Äù ‚ÄúDid you think it, then?‚Äù ‚ÄúWhere are you going to now?‚Äù ‚ÄúNo, you won‚Äôt, my lad!‚Äù and similar fragmentary remarks.”

  Bailey thought highly of the horse but never praised it, instead shouting insults and commands to assert control.

  Shows Bailey's cocky and playful attitude.

• “No confidences existed between him and the Directorship; nobody knew where he had served last; no character or explanation had been given or required. No questions had been asked on either side. This mysterious being, relying solely on his figure, had applied for the situation, and had been instantly engaged on his own terms.”

  The porter was hired without any references or questions, solely because of his impressive physique, especially his large waistcoat.

  Satirizes the superficiality of the company's respectability.

• “When he sat upon a seat erected for him in a corner of the office, with his glazed hat hanging on a peg over his head, it was impossible to doubt the respectability of the concern. It went on doubling itself with every square inch of his red waistcoat until, like the problem of the nails in the horse‚Äôs shoes, the total became enormous.”

  The porter's mere presence and his enormous red waistcoat made the company seem incredibly respectable, multiplying its credibility.

  Highlights the absurdity of judging a company by appearances.

• “People had been known to apply to effect an insurance on their lives for a thousand pounds, and looking at him, to beg, before the form of proposal was filled up, that it might be made two.”

  Clients were so impressed by the porter that they doubled their insurance amounts on the spot.

  Exaggerates the porter's influence on customers.