# The Painted Veil — Character guide

> Key figures in The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

- [Kitty Fane](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/kitty_fane.md): The protagonist, a young woman who travels to China with her husband and undergoes a transformative journey.
- [Walter Fane](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/walter_fane.md): Kitty's husband, a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong and later in Mei-tan-fu.
- [Charles Townsend](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/charles_townsend.md): A charming British colonial official in Hong Kong who has an affair with Kitty.
- [Waddington](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/waddington.md): A British customs officer in Mei-tan-fu who becomes Kitty's friend and confidant.
- [Mother Superior](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/mother_superior.md): The head of the convent in Mei-tan-fu where Kitty volunteers.
- [Mrs. Garstin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/mrs_garstin.md): Kitty's ambitious and domineering mother, who pressures her to marry well.
- [Dorothy Townsend](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/dorothy_townsend.md): Charles Townsend's wife, a dignified and respected woman in Hong Kong society.
- [Doris](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/doris.md): Kitty's younger sister, who marries a baronet and is favored by their mother.
- [Bernard Garstin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/bernard_garstin.md): Kitty's father, a lawyer who is overshadowed by his wife.
- [Colonel Yü](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/colonel_yu.md): A Chinese military officer who assists in the cholera epidemic in Mei-tan-fu.
- [Sister St. Joseph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/sister_st_joseph.md): A cheerful nun at the convent in Mei-tan-fu who works with Kitty.
- [Dr. Watson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/watson.md): A British doctor who works with Walter Fane during the cholera outbreak.
- [Geoffrey Dennison](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/geoffrey_dennison.md): A young man who flirts with Kitty at a party in Hong Kong.
- [Madame de Viernot](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/madame_de_viernot.md): A French woman living in Mei-tan-fu who is acquainted with Waddington.
- [Pia](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/pia.md): A young girl at the convent in Mei-tan-fu whom Kitty becomes fond of.
- [Mei-tan-fu](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters/mei_tan_fu.md): The plague-stricken Chinese city where Walter and Kitty relocate.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/characters