Bleak House characters

Also known as Esther Summerson

First appears in chapter 3

A modest, observant young woman raised without knowing her parents and taught to regard her birth as a disgrace. After her severe godmother dies, an anonymous guardian pays for her education and later sends her to London to become companion to Ada Clare. Esther narrates much of the story while habitually minimizing her own importance.

First appears in chapter 3

A gentle, affectionate young ward of Chancery whose possible inheritance is tied to the long-running Jarndyce and Jarndyce suit. She quickly forms a sisterly bond with Esther and travels with her to the home of their guardian.

First appears in chapter 3

Ada's amiable cousin and fellow ward in the Jarndyce case. He is energetic but uncertain which profession to pursue, and his growing affection for Ada is accompanied by an increasing interest in the lawsuit that may determine their fortunes.

Also known as Mr Jarndyce

First appears in chapter 6

Master of Bleak House and guardian to Ada and Richard, as well as Esther's unnamed benefactor. Generous and protective, he avoids the Jarndyce lawsuit despite his connection to it and attributes anything upsetting to an imaginary change in the wind.

First appears in chapter 2

A fashionable, reserved aristocrat introduced at Chesney Wold, where she appears bored with society and her marriage to the much older Sir Leicester. Her unusual reaction to a law clerk's handwriting attracts the notice of the family lawyer, Mr Tulkinghorn.

First appears in chapter 2

The Dedlocks' quiet and powerful lawyer, entrusted with the private affairs of an old aristocratic family. He notices Lady Dedlock's interest in an unfamiliar hand among the Jarndyce documents and pursues the matter with patient secrecy.

First appears in chapter 4

A tireless philanthropist consumed by a distant overseas project while her crowded London home and children remain neglected. Esther, Ada, and Richard spend an uncomfortable first night in her household and see the private cost of her public zeal.

Also known as Caddy

First appears in chapter 4

Mrs Jellyby's overworked elder daughter, employed as an unwilling secretary for her mother's endless correspondence. Ashamed of the disorder at home and desperate for an independent future, she quickly confides in Esther.

First appears in chapter 4

An ambitious young clerk at the law firm of Kenge and Carboy. He takes an immediate interest in Esther and possesses the professional curiosity and access to connect people who would otherwise remain separated by class and secrecy.

First appears in chapter 5

The eccentric owner of a rag-and-bottle shop near the courts, surrounded by legal scraps he cannot read and fascinated by Chancery. He rents an upstairs room to a mysterious law writer known as Nemo.

First appears in chapter 6

A charming dependent who calls himself a child in practical matters and claims to live without ordinary concern for money or responsibility. Mr Jarndyce admires his apparent simplicity, while Esther notices that other people bear the costs of his freedom.

First appears in chapter 16

A homeless crossing sweeper who survives around the courts and burial grounds. Poor, illiterate, and repeatedly moved along by authority, he knows something about the dead law writer Nemo because he was one of the few people to follow the man's funeral.

Also known as Mr George

First appears in chapter 21

A former soldier who runs a shooting gallery and values directness and personal honor. Though burdened by debt to the Smallweed family, he resists pressure to surrender another man's handwriting for a purpose he does not trust.

First appears in chapter 22

A London police inspector whose relaxed conversational manner conceals close attention and methodical reasoning. He is introduced while tracing a legal copyist for Tulkinghorn and moves easily among households at every social level.

First appears in chapter 11

A capable young surgeon encountered through the Bleak House circle. His professional seriousness and kindness distinguish him, and Esther regards him with feelings she is reluctant to examine before he leaves on a voyage abroad.