# XXIX: Has an Introductory Account of the Inmates of the House, to Which Oliver Resorted explained — Oliver Twist

> Chapter companion for Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

The chapter introduces the Maylie household, where Mrs. Maylie and her adopted niece Rose Maylie are at breakfast. Mr. Giles, the butler, attends them. The local doctor, Mr. Losberne, arrives in a fluster over the recent burglary attempt. He examines the wounded intruder (Oliver) upstairs and insists that the ladies see him, hinting at something extraordinary about the boy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Hypocrisy

Mr. Giles's pride in shooting a thief in the back kitchen is contrasted with the doctor's joking about dueling, highlighting class-based notions of honor and bravery.

### Compassion and Redemption

The ladies' concern for the wounded intruder and the doctor's insistence on showing him to them foreshadow themes of mercy and the possibility of redemption.

## Character check-ins

### Mrs. Maylie

The elder lady, stately and precise, seated at breakfast with her young companion.

### Rose Maylie

The young lady, not past seventeen, described as gentle, pure, and beautiful; she is busily engaged at the table.

### Mr. Giles

The butler, dressed in full black, attending the ladies; he shot the intruder and is proud of his bravery.

### Mr. Losberne

The fat, good-humoured local surgeon who arrives to examine the wounded boy and insists the ladies see him.

## Key lines

> In a handsome room: though its furniture had rather the air of old-fashioned comfort, than of modern elegance: there sat two ladies at a well-spread breakfast-table.

The room was attractive but furnished in a cozy, traditional style rather than a trendy one, and two ladies were seated at a generously laid breakfast table.

_Sets the scene of the Maylie home, emphasizing comfort over fashion._

> She was not past seventeen. Cast in so slight and exquisite a mould; so mild and gentle; so pure and beautiful; that earth seemed not her element, nor its rough creatures her fit companions.

Rose was no older than seventeen, with a delicate and lovely appearance, so gentle and innocent that she seemed almost too good for this world.

_Describes Rose Maylie's ethereal beauty and purity._

> I never heard of such a thing! exclaimed the fat gentleman. My dear Mrs. Maylie—bless my soul—in the silence of the night, too—I never heard of such a thing!

The stout doctor burst in, exclaiming that he had never heard of anything like the nighttime robbery happening so unexpectedly.

_Shows the doctor's dramatic and good-natured reaction to the burglary._

## Links

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