# XXVII explained — The Lodger

> Chapter companion for The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes.

## What happens

After the lodger's sudden disappearance at Madame Tussaud's, the Buntings grapple with the truth about Mr. Sleuth's madness. Mrs. Bunting reveals to her husband that the lodger is a religious maniac and homicidal lunatic, but they decide not to report him. Daisy announces her engagement to Joe Chandler. Mr. Sleuth never returns; the Avenger murders cease. Months later, a gardener finds a knife and rubber-soled shoes in Regent's Park, and a box of sovereigns is anonymously sent to the Foundling Hospital. The Buntings eventually enter service with an old lady.

## Themes in this chapter

### Complicity and Moral Ambiguity

The Buntings decide not to report the lodger's madness or his possible crimes, choosing to protect him and themselves.

### Fear and Suspicion

Mrs. Bunting lives in constant fear of the lodger's return and the truth being discovered; the household is tense and uneasy.

### Psychology of the Criminal

The lodger is revealed as a 'religious maniac' and 'homicidal maniac,' highlighting the psychological underpinnings of the Avenger murders.

## Character check-ins

### Mrs. Bunting

Reveals to Bunting that the lodger is a lunatic; sits up all night waiting for him; later tells Chandler the lodger has disappeared; stops listening for his return.

### Mr. Bunting

Listens to his wife's revelation about the lodger; puts the chain on the door; later expresses worry about the lodger's welfare; accepts Daisy's engagement.

### Daisy

Describes the lodger's strange departure; announces her engagement to Joe Chandler; resents Aunt Margaret's remark about the police.

### Joe Chandler

Takes the news of the lodger's disappearance calmly; offers to circulate a description; becomes engaged to Daisy.

### Mr. Sleuth

Disappears after the trip to Madame Tussaud's; never returns; his Bible and Concordance remain; his money is later sent to the Foundling Hospital.

## Key lines

> I heard the gentleman say myself that he was a lunatic... A religious maniac—that’s what he called him.

Mrs. Bunting insists the lodger is a madman, specifically a religious maniac, as stated by Sir John Burney.

_Mrs. Bunting reveals the lodger's true nature to her husband._

> Mr. Sleuth won't never come back no more.

Mrs. Bunting declares that the lodger will not return.

_Her certainty about the lodger's permanent disappearance._

> Father, I'm engaged!

Daisy announces her engagement to Joe Chandler.

_The happy news amidst the tension of the lodger's disappearance._

> a gardener, working in the Regent's Park, found a newspaper in which was wrapped, together with a half-worn pair of rubber-soled shoes, a long, peculiarly shaped knife.

Months later, evidence of the Avenger's crimes is discovered in Regent's Park.

_The discovery of the murder weapon and shoes, linking the lodger to the murders._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvii
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