Our Mutual Friend · Chapter
Give a Dog a Bad Name, and Hang Him explained
Fascination Fledgeby, left alone in the countinghouse of Pubsey and Co., asserts his authority while waiting for Mr.
What happens
Fascination Fledgeby, left alone in the countinghouse of Pubsey and Co., asserts his authority while waiting for Mr. Riah. The dolls' dressmaker, Jenny Wren, arrives to buy waste but is disturbed by Fledgeby's denial of being the master, revealing his exploitation of Riah's bad name. Mr. Twemlow then enters, distressed about a debt held by Riah, and Fledgeby feigns sympathy while secretly manipulating the situation. When Riah returns, Fledgeby falsely accuses him of rushing to put a bill of sale at Lammle's, continuing his scheme to control and discredit the old Jew.
Themes in this chapter
Charity and Hypocrisy
Fledgeby feigns sympathy and offers to help Twemlow, but his true intent is to manipulate and exploit the situation for his own gain, highlighting the hypocrisy behind his supposed charity.
Identity and Disguise
Fledgeby denies being the master of Pubsey and Co., using Riah as a front, and the blind of the countinghouse symbolizes the deceptive layers of identity and business.
Characters to notice
- Fledgeby
Left alone in the countinghouse, he spies on the street, denies being the master to Jenny Wren, and manipulates Twemlow's debt situation while plotting against Riah.
- Jenny Wren
Visits Pubsey and Co. to buy waste, but is confounded by Fledgeby's denial of being the master and his disparagement of Riah.
- Twemlow
Arrives distressed about a debt held by Riah; he naively confides in Fledgeby, who pretends to help while secretly exploiting his vulnerability.
- Riah
Returns to the countinghouse and is immediately accused by Fledgeby of rushing to put in a bill of sale at Lammle's, bearing the burden of his master's schemes.
Key passages
“He has got a bad name as an old Jew, and he is paid for the use of it, and I’ll have my money’s worth out of him.”
Fledgeby exploits Riah's reputation as a Jewish moneylender, using him as a front to conduct business while ensuring he profits from the arrangement.
This reveals Fledgeby's cynical and exploitative nature, as he deliberately uses Riah's stigmatized identity for financial gain.
“I don’t like, Mr. Twemlow, I don’t like Riah’s calling in the principal. If he’s determined to call it in, it must come.”
Fledgeby pretends to be concerned about Twemlow's debt, but his words are a veiled threat that the money must be paid or Twemlow will face prison.
Fledgeby's feigned sympathy masks his manipulation, as he knows he controls Riah and the debt collection.