# III explained — Vile Bodies > Chapter companion for Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh. ## What happens Adam Fenwick-Symes arrives at Shepheard's Hotel, run by the indomitable Lottie Crump, a relic of Edwardian certainty. The chapter introduces the hotel's eccentric atmosphere and its assortment of guests, including the deposed King of Ruritania and an American judge, while Lottie's chaotic hospitality and the ongoing political shifts are highlighted. ## Themes in this chapter ### Decay of Aristocracy The ex-King of Ruritania, deposed and impoverished, embodies the fall of royal prestige, while Lottie's hotel clings to Edwardian grandeur. ### Class and Snobbery Lottie's snobbery is evident in her collection of signed photographs of royalty and her disdain for actors, reflecting a reverence for old money and titles. ### Hypocrisy and Moral Vacuity The casual discussion of the Queen's madness and the ex-King's tragic story, treated as entertainment over champagne, highlights a lack of genuine moral concern. ## Character check-ins ### Lottie Crump Proprietress of Shepheard's Hotel, a robust Edwardian figure who greets Adam and presides over the parlour with generous drinks and a sharp eye for wealth. ### Adam Fenwick-Symes Arrives at Shepheard's Hotel, is warmly greeted by Lottie Crump, and joins the eclectic company in the parlour. ### Doge The elderly head waiter, hard of hearing and partially blind, once a Rothschild's butler, who dandled Father Rothschild as a child. ### Father Rothschild S.J. Mentioned as the clever child Doge once dandled, and later referenced in a telephone conversation with Mr. Outrage. ### Mr. Outrage Mentioned as a guest dining upstairs, mistakenly thought to be Prime Minister; later receives a phone call from Father Rothschild. ### Baroness Yoshiwara A guest in Mr. Outrage's room, puzzled by his behavior, dressed in a golden Paquin frock. ### Sir James Brown Mentioned as the Prime Minister by Lottie, though the others dispute his current status. ## Key lines > Lottie Crump, proprietress of Shepheard’s Hotel, Dover Street, attended invariably by two Cairn terriers, is a happy reminder to us that the splendours of the Edwardian era were not entirely confined to Lady Anchorage or Mrs. Blackwater. Lottie Crump, the owner of Shepheard's Hotel, always accompanied by her two Cairn terriers, serves as a cheerful symbol that the grandeur of the Edwardian age still exists beyond the circles of Lady Anchorage and Mrs. Blackwater. _Introduces Lottie as a living relic of Edwardian opulence._ > When the war broke out she took down the signed photograph of the Kaiser and, with some solemnity, hung it in the menservants’ lavatory; it was her one combative action. At the start of the war, her only act of defiance was to remove the Kaiser's signed photo and hang it in the male servants' toilet. _Illustrates Lottie's minimal and symbolic response to the war._ > She led Adam into the parlour, where they found several men, none of whom Adam had ever seen before. 'You all know Lord Thingummy, don’t you?' said Lottie. 'Mr. Symes,' said Adam. Lottie brought Adam to the parlour, introducing him to a group of strangers as 'Lord Thingummy,' which Adam corrected to 'Mr. Symes.' _Highlights Lottie's casual and inaccurate introductions._ > After the war my people give me the bird, yes, but they throw my Prime Minister out of the window, bump right bang on the floor. Ha, ha. After the war, my subjects dismissed me, but they threw my Prime Minister out of a window, landing him hard on the ground. Ha, ha. _The ex-King of Ruritania recounts his deposition with dark humor._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se/chapters/iii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se/chapters