The Informer · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Gypo Nolan struggles to formulate a plan and alibi after informing on McPhillip.
What happens
Gypo Nolan struggles to formulate a plan and alibi after informing on McPhillip. He is interrupted by Katie Fox, a former revolutionary turned prostitute and drug addict, who senses his secret. Gypo's paranoia grows as he fears the Revolutionary Organization suspects him, and he decides to visit McPhillip's family to avoid suspicion.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Paranoia
Gypo is consumed by guilt over betraying McPhillip and paranoid that the Revolutionary Organization already suspects him. His inability to think clearly or make a plan underscores his psychological torment.
Gender and Exploitation
Katie Fox's character illustrates the exploitation and degradation of women in the slums, from factory work to prostitution and drug addiction, as well as her expulsion from the revolutionary movement.
Characters to notice
- Gypo Nolan
Gypo is tormented by guilt and paranoia, unable to devise a plan or alibi. He is haunted by McPhillip's memory and fears the Revolutionary Organization's retribution.
- Katie Fox
Katie, a former revolutionary now a drug addict and prostitute, confronts Gypo in the pub. Her intuition senses his secret, and she alternates between anger and mournful sympathy.
- Frankie McPhillip
McPhillip is referenced as a clever planner and Gypo's former comrade, now dead due to Gypo's betrayal. His motto about alibis echoes in Gypo's mind.
Key passages
“Never bother about yer ‘getaway’ until yer job is done”
Don't worry about your escape until you've finished the task.
McPhillip's motto, which Gypo recalls as he struggles to devise an alibi.
“Mac, you bite the easy side o’ the cheese. I got to do all the rough work an’ you do all the thinkin’. Strikes me you get away with it easy, mate.”
Mac, you take the easy part. I do all the hard work while you do all the thinking. It seems to me you have it easy, friend.
Gypo's reflection on his past dynamic with McPhillip, highlighting his reliance on McPhillip's planning.
“God Almighty, the world is so hard that a person loses her mind altogether. Misery, misery, misery an’ nothin’ but misery. You’re as bad off as mesel’, Gypo, so ye know what I mane.”
God, the world is so harsh that one goes mad. Only misery, and you're as miserable as I am, Gypo, so you understand.
Katie's lament about the relentless suffering of their lives, reflecting her despair and shared poverty.