Of Human Bondage characters

Appears from the start

A sensitive English boy orphaned at nine and born with a club foot. Intelligent, observant, and painfully self-conscious, he searches for freedom through religion, learning, art, love, and work while struggling against his need for other people's approval.

Appears from the start

Philip's widowed mother, gravely ill when the novel opens. Her death leaves her nine-year-old son to be raised by relatives he barely knows.

First appears in chapter 2

Philip's uncle and guardian, the vicar of Blackstable. Formal, conventional, and careful with money, he finds emotional intimacy difficult and expects his nephew to fit an established clerical way of life.

Also known as Aunt Louisa

First appears in chapter 2

William Carey's gentle wife and Philip's new guardian. Childless and eager to love him, she tries to make the vicarage a home despite her husband's reserve and Philip's grief.

First appears in chapter 19

An Englishman Philip befriends while studying in Heidelberg. Cultivated in manner and devoted to lofty conversation about literature and beauty, he becomes an early model for the kind of life Philip imagines beyond England.

First appears in chapter 29

An older woman visiting Blackstable who has lived abroad and presents herself as worldly. She flirts with the inexperienced Philip and becomes the focus of his first attempt at an adult affair.

First appears in chapter 39

A sociable English art student in Paris who welcomes Philip into a circle of painters. His confidence and professional ambition contrast with Philip's uncertainty about whether talent can be made into a life.

First appears in chapter 41

A poor and isolated art student in Paris. Fiercely serious about painting and quick to take offense, she alternately seeks Philip's company and rejects his attempts at kindness.

First appears in chapter 43

An English poet living an irregular life in Paris. His talk about art, experience, and the pattern of a life interests Philip, though his poverty and drinking show the costs beneath the romantic pose.

First appears in chapter 52

A reserved waitress at a London tea shop whose thin figure and affected manner fascinate Philip. She responds coolly to his attention, which makes him increasingly anxious to win her approval.

First appears in chapter 68

A warm, self-supporting writer whom Philip meets after his first disappointment with Mildred. Separated from her husband and older than Philip, she offers affection without demanding social display.

First appears in chapter 74

A handsome and charming medical student who becomes Philip's friend. His ease with people and casual approach to romance make him attractive company, but also a dangerous person for Philip to trust around Mildred.

First appears in chapter 88

A talkative former soldier and journalist whom Philip meets as a hospital patient. Poor but intellectually curious, he quickly extends the hospitality of his large family and treats Philip as a friend rather than a social asset.

First appears in chapter 92

Thorpe Athelny's eldest daughter, practical and direct from helping manage a crowded household. She meets Philip as one of the many visitors absorbed into the family's lively domestic life.

First appears in chapter 118

An elderly physician in a small coastal practice who employs Philip after his qualification. Gruff and independent, he has built a demanding working life without close family ties.