The Lodger · Chapter
I explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. and Mrs. Bunting sit in their carefully maintained sitting-room, which outwardly projects an image of respectability and comfort. In reality, they are on the brink of financial ruin, having sold or pawned most of their valuables. Their only remaining friend is Joe Chandler, a young detective who has lent them money. As they struggle with hunger and cold, the evening newspaper boys cry out news of the latest Avenger murder, adding to their unease.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
The Buntings' clean, well-furnished room and respectable appearance conceal their desperate poverty and hunger.
Poverty and Social Insecurity
The chapter details the Buntings' slide toward destitution, having sold possessions, pawned clothes, and now worrying about pennies.
Class and Respectability
Their former lives in service and their efforts to maintain a respectable front highlight the importance of class standing and the fear of falling into the 'submerged multitude.'
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Bunting
Sits in a straight-backed chair, dressed neatly but plainly; she is anxious, hopeless, and regrets spending fourpence-ha'penny on tobacco for her husband.
- Mr. Bunting
Leans back in a leather armchair, clean-shaven and dapper; he has pawned his dress clothes and gold watch-chain, and is trying to muster courage to write to his first wife's aunt for help.
- Joe Chandler
A young detective and the Buntings' only frequent visitor; he has offered them a loan of 30 shillings and visits faithfully once or twice a week.
- Daisy
Bunting's only child by his first wife; she lives with Aunt Margaret and is mentioned as a possible source of help through the aunt.
- Aunt Margaret
The widow of a well-to-do man, she is the aunt of Bunting's first wife and lives with Daisy; Bunting hesitates to write to her for aid, expecting a rebuff.
Key passages
“But peculiarly true of average English life is the timeworn English proverb as to appearances being deceitful.”
The narrator observes that appearances are often misleading, especially in the Buntings' case.
Introduces the theme of appearance vs. reality.
“They were almost at the end of their tether. Already they had learnt to go hungry, and they were beginning to learn to go cold.”
The Buntings are nearly out of resources, having experienced hunger and now facing cold.
Highlights their extreme poverty and insecurity.
“Where was the good of having been an upright, conscientious, self-respecting woman all her life long, if it only led to this utter, degrading poverty and wretchedness?”
Mrs. Bunting questions the value of her lifelong virtue when it has brought her to such a low state.
Reflects her despair and the theme of class and respectability.