# No Sinecure explained — The Black Mask

> Chapter companion for The Black Mask by E. W. Hornung.

## What happens

Raffles and Bunny are living in a small flat in Albany, where Raffles is restless and bored with their quiet life. He decides to take up a new challenge: breaking into a house in the country, but the plan goes awry when they discover the house is occupied by a woman who recognizes Raffles. The chapter explores Raffles' identity and his inability to settle into a normal life.

## Themes in this chapter

### Crime and Identity

Raffles' identity as a gentleman and a criminal is central, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his present desire for excitement.

### Risk and Thrill

The chapter emphasizes Raffles' need for the thrill of risk, as he finds ordinary life unbearable without the danger of crime.

## Character check-ins

### A. J. Raffles

Restless and bored with his quiet life, Raffles decides to plan a burglary for excitement.

### Bunny

Bunny is living with Raffles in Albany and is reluctantly drawn into Raffles' schemes.

## Key lines

> I was never more restless than in the weeks that followed our return from the war.

Raffles was extremely unsettled after coming back from the war.

_Shows Raffles' dissatisfaction with peacetime life._

> It is a sin to be a sinecure.

Having an easy, pointless job is a moral failing.

_Reflects Raffles' belief that idleness is wrong._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_mask_se/chapters/no-sinecure
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_mask_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_mask_se/chapters