Barnaby Rudge · Character

The Blind Man

A blind, nut-cracking extortionist who trades in secrets for money and holds a murderer's freedom in his groping hands.

supporting

Also known as blind man, Stagg

First appearance: chapter 1

As a supporting figure in Barnaby Rudge, The Blind Man is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The mysterious man from the previous night, who appears at the widow's door and flees when Varden tries to catch him.

In the storyChapter 5Open this moment free

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Stagg moves through the shadows of the Rudge mystery, tracking a woman to her hospital bedside and coolly reporting her refusal to save a condemned man. He loves to feel his victims squirm, drawing out their impatience as a kind of entertainment, and rattles the coins of riot-night plunder in his pockets. His ruthless self-interest makes him a perfect instrument of the novel's darker machinery, and his grip on the fugitive's secret keeps the plot's central dread alive.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of The Blind Man sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See The Blind Man in chapter 1

Character Web

24 connections

A slice of how The Blind Man sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Other

Character groups

Main Riot Participants
Protagonist

+19 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional peak here is the collective dread and anticipation of an execution, as the city’s silence and th…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Barnaby Rudge
psychological · negative
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to… How this plays out →
Mrs. Rudge
psychological · negative
Mrs. Rudge
psychological · negative
Barnaby Rudge
psychological · negative
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to… How this plays out →
Barnaby Rudge
psychological · negative
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to… How this plays out →
Mrs. Rudge
psychological · negative

Barnaby Rudge
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to further his own sinister purposes.
Mrs. Rudge
The Blind Man blackmails and terrorizes Mrs. Rudge, exploiting her fear and secrets to control her.
Mrs. Rudge
The Blind Man blackmails and terrorizes Mrs. Rudge, exploiting her fear and secrets to control her.
Barnaby Rudge
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to further his own sinister purposes.
Barnaby Rudge
The Blind Man (Stagg) manipulates Barnaby and his mother, using Barnaby's innocence to further his own sinister purposes.
Mrs. Rudge
The Blind Man blackmails and terrorizes Mrs. Rudge, exploiting her fear and secrets to control her.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Blind Man in chapter 1

In the story

The Blind Man appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter 5
The mysterious man from the previous night, who appears at the widow's door and flees when Varden tries to catch him.
Chapter 8
Hosts the meeting in his cellar, flattering Tappertit and serving as a sycophantic follower.
Chapter 16
The mysterious stranger, who has been seen in the city for about eight days, haunts the night-cellars and streets, inspiring fear and speculation. He follows Mrs. Rudge and confronts her at her home.
Chapter 17
The mysterious companion who forces his way into the widow's home, revealed to be the robber from the Chigwell road. He threatens her and hints at a dark connection to her past.
Chapter 18
Stagg, the blind man, is encountered by the stranger and reluctantly offers him shelter in his cellar, while secretly examining him as he sleeps.
Chapter 45
Reveals himself as Stagg, a crafty and menacing figure who blackmails the widow.
Chapter 46
Manipulates Barnaby and pressures the widow for money, revealing his cunning and exploitative nature.
Chapter 47
Mentioned as a mysterious figure whose words about gold have taken hold of Barnaby's imagination.
Chapter 55
A mysterious figure who enters the Maypole through the window and questions John Willet about the rioters' direction.
Chapter 56
Not present in this chapter, but the murderer Rudge is revealed and captured.
Chapter 61
Not present in this chapter; no check-in.
Chapter 62
Visits the prisoner in his cell, learns the details of his capture, and proposes a manipulative scheme to save him by bargaining with his wife.
Chapter 66
Not present in this chapter, but referenced as the man in Newgate whom Haredale fears might be freed.
Chapter 68
Barnaby seeks him but finds his house shut up and tenantless.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for The Blind Man unlock in the free preview.

See The Blind Man in chapter 1

See The Blind Man in Chapter 5