# Peter Laughlin & Co. explained — The Titan

> Chapter companion for The Titan by Theodore Dreiser.

## What happens

Cowperwood forms a partnership with the seasoned but unambitious Board of Trade operator Peter Laughlin, leveraging Laughlin's deep knowledge of Chicago's financial scene to launch his own career in the city. The chapter details Laughlin's eccentric, solitary life and his immediate trust in Cowperwood, culminating in the establishment of the firm Peter Laughlin & Co.

## Themes in this chapter

### Ambition and Power

Cowperwood's calculated partnership with Laughlin demonstrates his strategic ambition to gain a foothold in Chicago's financial world, securing majority control from the outset.

### Wealth and Its Illusions

Laughlin's modest, almost impoverished personal life contrasts with his two-hundred-thousand-dollar net worth, highlighting the gap between financial success and personal fulfillment.

## Character check-ins

### Frank A. Cowperwood

Seeks a Chicago partner and shrewdly selects Peter Laughlin for his local knowledge; negotiates a 51% stake in the new firm.

### Peter Laughlin

An aging, uncouth Board of Trade trader with a deep but unorganized knowledge of Chicago finance; lives a solitary life with his spaniel Jennie and agrees to a partnership with Cowperwood.

### Jennie

Laughlin's beloved spaniel and constant companion, who sleeps with him and accompanies him to the office.

## Key lines

> His limitations were so marked that to a lover of character like Cowperwood he was fascinating—but Cowperwood only used character. He never idled over it long artistically.

Cowperwood found Laughlin's eccentricities intriguing, but he was ultimately interested only in exploiting them for practical gain, not in appreciating them for their own sake.

_Highlights Cowperwood's pragmatic and utilitarian view of human nature._

> I ain't keerin' so much about the name. You can fix it that-a-way if you want to. Givin' you fifty-one percent gives you charge of this here shebang.

Laughlin readily accepts Cowperwood's offer of a 49% stake, acknowledging that the majority share gives Cowperwood control of the firm.

_Shows Laughlin's easygoing nature and his immediate trust in Cowperwood's leadership._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/iv-peter-laughlin-co
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_titan_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_titan_se/chapters