The Informer · Chapter
I explained
In a lodging house, Frankie McPhillip, a fugitive revolutionary suffering from consumption, meets with his comrade Gypo Nolan.
What happens
In a lodging house, Frankie McPhillip, a fugitive revolutionary suffering from consumption, meets with his comrade Gypo Nolan. McPhillip seeks news from home and the organization, while Gypo, having delivered messages and been expelled from the Revolutionary Organization, evades direct answers. Their tense conversation reveals McPhillip's desperation and Gypo's growing internal conflict, culminating in McPhillip's departure and Gypo's petty theft of a fellow lodger's dinner.
Themes in this chapter
Loyalty and Comradeship
The bond between Gypo and McPhillip, known as the 'Devil's Twins,' is tested by McPhillip's suspicion and Gypo's evasiveness.
Betrayal and Its Consequences
Gypo's internal struggle with a 'monstrous idea' foreshadows potential betrayal, while the atmosphere of distrust pervades the revolutionary ranks.
Guilt and Paranoia
McPhillip's terror and suspicion, and Gypo's uneasy silence, highlight the paranoia among revolutionaries under threat of capture and informers.
Characters to notice
- Gypo Nolan
Gypo meets with Frankie McPhillip in the lodging house, eats hungrily, and later steals a fellow lodger's dinner after McPhillip leaves.
- Frankie McPhillip
Frankie, a fugitive revolutionary with consumption, visits Gypo to get news about his family and the organization, showing signs of illness and paranoia.
- Commandant Dan Gallagher
Mentioned as having ordered Gypo and McPhillip expelled from the Revolutionary Organization and nearly having them shot.
- Mrs. McPhillip
Frankie's mother, who gave Gypo half a sovereign to pass to Frankie, which Gypo spent.
Key passages
“I got the consumption.”
McPhillip reveals he is dying of tuberculosis.
McPhillip confesses his fatal illness to Gypo, explaining his desperate return.
“The only reason why I didn't want to say anythin' was because I didn't like to...”
Gypo hesitates to share information, claiming reluctance rather than deceit.
Gypo deflects McPhillip's suspicion, but his hesitation hints at inner conflict.
“I never in me life saw anythin' like it. Tell ye what, Frankie, the workin' class is not worth fightin' for.”
Gypo expresses disillusionment with the revolutionary cause and the working class.
Gypo's cynicism reflects his growing detachment from the organization.