# Mr. Dennis — Barnaby Rudge character guide > Mr. Dennis in Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Dennis, the grinning Dennis **First appearance:** 0002-chapter-1 ## Snapshot A professional hangman who joins the riots for profit and plunder, recoiling from any whiff of sentiment as unmanly weakness. ## Who they are Dennis marches with Hugh and Barnaby as a self-styled man of action, all too ready to turn public disorder into private gain. He is disgusted by Barnaby's talk of mothers and sweethearts, insisting there is no place for tenderness among rebels, and nudges the bewildered boy toward violence he does not understand. His cold, grinning pragmatism sharpens the novel's portrait of a mob held together by appetite rather than conviction. ## In the story ### [Chapter 36](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-36) Contributes a shilling to the Association and is noted as an earnest man by Lord George. ### [Chapter 37](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-37) The hangman, eager for action, is flattered by Gashford's hints of leadership. ### [Chapter 38](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-38) Acts as Hugh's guide and recruiter, reveling in the prospect of destruction and admiring Hugh's physique. ### [Chapter 39](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-39) Mysterious about his trade, hints at a gruesome profession, and shows a fondness for his carved portrait. ### [Chapter 40](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-40) Mentioned as a fellow rioter and friend of Hugh, whose trade remains a secret. ### [Chapter 44](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-44) The hangman, cautious and experienced, advises patience and restraint, but is equally enthusiastic about the prospect of violence against Haredale. ### [Chapter 49](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-49) Expresses disgust at Barnaby's talk of his mother, showing his brutal and unsentimental nature. He is initially astonished by Hugh's manipulation of Barnaby. ### [Chapter 50](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-50) Disgusted with the crowd's lack of spirit; joins Hugh and Barnaby in the new riotous venture. ### [Chapter 52](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-52) Discusses the plan with Hugh, expressing his dislike of women and his admiration for Hugh's enthusiasm. ### [Chapter 53](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-53) Accompanies Hugh, is complicit in Gashford's plot, and is unnerved by Gashford's calm and sly manner. ### [Chapter 54](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-54) Called upon to help bind John Willet as the mob decides his fate. ### [Chapter 59](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-59) Assists in the abduction, makes crude jokes, and leers at the captives. ### [Chapter 60](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-60) The hangman, who cautions Hugh against his noisy behavior and later helps restrain the crowd, advocating for a planned attack on Newgate. ### [Chapter 63](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-63) Leads the mob alongside Hugh and Simon Tappertit. ### [Chapter 64](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-64) Follows Hugh into the jail, participating in the attack. ### [Chapter 65](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-65) Directs the rioters inside the prison, then locks himself in the condemned cells, ignoring the pleas of the condemned men. ### [Chapter 70](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-70) The hangman, now in private life, schemes to abduct Dolly to prevent her from testifying against him. ### [Chapter 74](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-74) Arrested and imprisoned at Newgate, he tries to maintain optimism about his fate, but is visibly shaken by his confinement and Hugh's hostility. ### [Chapter 75](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-75) The hangman, also condemned, who revealed the story of Hugh's mother. ### [Chapter 76](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-76) Reduced to abject cowardice, desperately pleading for a reprieve and writhing in terror at the thought of his own execution. ### [Chapter 77](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/chapters/chapter-77) Prostrates himself in terror, begging for mercy and claiming his identity as the hangman should spare him. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/characters/dennis - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barnaby_rudge_se/characters