# Mr. Guppy — Bleak House character guide

> Mr. Guppy in Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Guppy, William Guppy

**First appearance:** 0005-iv-telescopic-philanthropy

## Snapshot

A pale, perspiring law clerk at Kenge and Carboy whose infatuation with Esther and taste for conspiracy pull him into the novel's darker machinery.

## Who they are

Guppy is a Chancery clerk with ambitions above his station, first smitten by Esther when she visits the office, later entangled with Tony Weevle in schemes around Krook's papers. His awkward courtship and his nervous, self-important plotting make him both comic and faintly menacing. He matters because his curiosity about the case keeps dragging ordinary people toward its secrets.

## Relationships

### [Esther Summerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/esther_summerson)

_social_

Mr. Guppy is infatuated with Esther and repeatedly proposes to her, but she politely rejects him.

### [Lady Dedlock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/lady_dedlock)

_psychological_

Mr. Guppy becomes obsessed with Lady Dedlock after discovering her connection to Esther and the Hawdon affair, leading to tense confrontations.

### [Esther Summerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/esther_summerson)

_social_

Mr. Guppy is infatuated with Esther and repeatedly proposes to her, but she politely rejects him.

### [Lady Dedlock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/lady_dedlock)

_psychological_

Mr. Guppy becomes obsessed with Lady Dedlock after discovering her connection to Esther and the Hawdon affair, leading to tense confrontations.

### [Lady Dedlock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/lady_dedlock)

_psychological_

Mr. Guppy becomes obsessed with Lady Dedlock after discovering her connection to Esther and the Hawdon affair, leading to tense confrontations.

### [Esther Summerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/esther_summerson)

_social_

Mr. Guppy is infatuated with Esther and repeatedly proposes to her, but she politely rejects him.

## In the story

### [Telescopic Philanthropy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/iv-telescopic-philanthropy)

Kenge's clerk who escorts the party to Mrs. Jellyby's and comments on the fog and the Jellyby children.

### [Signs and Tokens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/ix-signs-and-tokens)

Arrives as Kenge and Carboy's clerk, dressed smartly and perfumed; his attention perplexes Esther.

### [XIII: Esther’s Narrative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xiii-esther-s-narrative)

Persistently pursues Esther, attending events and haunting her residence.

### [Moving On](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xix-moving-on)

Cross-examines Jo about the lady and the sovereign, showing his forensic interest.

### [A New Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xx-a-new-lodger)

Languishes at Kenge and Carboy's office during the long vacation, resentful of Richard Carstone and confiding in Young Smallweed.

### [An Appeal Case](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxiv-an-appeal-case)

Observes Esther in court; facilitates her meeting with Mrs. Rachael.

### [The Young Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxix-the-young-man)

Visits Lady Dedlock to share his discoveries about Esther Summerson's parentage and the Hawdon letters, seeking to advance his romantic interest in Esther.

### [The Appointed Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxxii-the-appointed-time)

Visits Weevle in his room to plan retrieving documents from Krook; he is horrified by the greasy substance on the windowsill and later by Krook's disappearance.

### [Interlopers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxxiii-interlopers)

Present at the Sol's Arms with Mr. Weevle, recounting the night's events and drinking heavily.

### [A Struggle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxxviii-a-struggle)

Esther visits him to formally reject his proposal; he is flustered and seeks her admission that the declaration was final.

### [Attorney and Client](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxxix-attorney-and-client)

Guppy accompanies Mr. Weevle to Krook's house, delivering a self-important speech about destroying any papers that might implicate him.

### [Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/lv-flight)

Visits Lady Dedlock to explain his presence is due to a promise to Miss Summerson.

### [LXIV: Esther’s Narrative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/lxiv-esther-s-narrative)

Visits with his mother and Mr. Jobling to renew his marriage proposal to Esther, which is rejected.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/mr_guppy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters