Bleak House · Character

Mr. Smallweed

A shrunken, wheelchair-bound moneylender in a black skullcap who hurls cushions at his wife and hoards secrets in a drawer beneath his seat.

supporting

Also known as Smallweed, Grandfather Smallweed, old Smallweed

First appearance: The Smallweed Family

As a supporting figure in Bleak House, Mr. Smallweed is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Young Smallweed, an old limb of the law, aspires to be like Guppy and advises him on private matters.

In the storyA New LodgerOpen this moment free

See Mr. Smallweed in A New Lodger Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Grandfather Smallweed presides over a grim below-street parlor where he watches pots, roasts joints, and lends money at ruinous rates, attended by his monkey-like granddaughter Judy and his gibbering wife. His body is a broken puppet's, but his grip on other people's debts, and on the compromising papers those debts have bought, is iron. He matters because he is one of the novel's great repositories of hidden leverage, a creature whose greed makes him a conduit for the past to reach back into the present.

Continue beside the text

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

See Mr. Smallweed in The Smallweed Family

Character Web

32 connections

A slice of how Mr. Smallweed sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Chancery and Mystery Core

+27 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it depicts Esther’s psychological reversal from illness and los…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Mr. George
rivalry · negative
Smallweed harasses Mr. How this plays out →
Mr. George
rivalry · negative
Smallweed harasses Mr. How this plays out →
Mr. George
rivalry · negative
Smallweed harasses Mr. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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

See Mr. Smallweed in The Smallweed Family

In the story

Mr. Smallweed appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A New Lodger
Young Smallweed, an old limb of the law, aspires to be like Guppy and advises him on private matters.
The Smallweed Family
Grandfather Smallweed is introduced as a bitter, money-obsessed old man confined to a chair, who throws cushions at his wife and hoards wealth.
Sharpshooters
Visits the shooting gallery with his granddaughter Judy to persuade Mr. George to provide a sample of Captain Hawdon's handwriting for a lawyer.
More Old Soldiers Than One
Accompanies Tulkinghorn in pressing George for Captain Hawdon's writing, offering money.
Interlopers
Arrives with his family to claim Krook's property as next of kin, behaving aggressively and demanding control.
A Turn of the Screw
The creditor with whom George and Mr. Bagnet plan to negotiate; mentioned as the 'enemy' in their errand.
Attorney and Client
The elder Smallweed, along with Judy and Mrs. Smallweed, is shown ransacking Krook's shop for hidden valuables, blackened with dust and dirt.
Springing a Mine
Part of the group seeking to profit from the secret, proposing a payment of five hundred pounds.
Another Discovery
Brought by Mr. Bucket; found the burnt will among Krook's papers; suspicious and reluctant but confirms the discovery.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Smallweed unlock in the free preview.

See Mr. Smallweed in The Smallweed Family

See Mr. Smallweed in A New Lodger