# Philbrick — Decline and Fall character guide > Philbrick in Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Sir Solomon Philbrick, Solly Philbrick, Chick Philbrick **First appearance:** 0007-part-i-vii-philbrick ## Snapshot A butler at Llanabba who claims to have been a shipowner, a novelist, and a burglar, and who may in fact be all three or none of them. ## Who they are Philbrick serves at the Castle while spinning ever more extravagant stories about his past, and later resurfaces as the mysterious Sir Solomon Philbrick, a lavish spender at the Metropole who sends champagne to Grimes with his compliments. His charm lies in the impossibility of pinning him down: Grimes accuses him of lying, and Philbrick agrees with dignity, promising that one day his full story — stranger than fiction — will be told. He is the novel's purest embodiment of the confidence trick, a man whose identity is whatever the room requires, and his reappearances keep the reader unsure whether anyone in the book is quite what they claim. ## Relationships ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _professional_ Philbrick, the butler at Llanabba Castle, serves as a servant to Paul but also deceives him with elaborate false identities. ### [Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/captain_grimes) _professional_ Grimes and Philbrick interact as fellow staff at Llanabba, sharing a mutual disdain and engaging in petty deceptions. ### [Dr. Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/dr_fagan) _professional_ Dr. Fagan employs Philbrick as his butler, but Philbrick secretly steals from him and fabricates stories. ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _professional_ Philbrick, the butler at Llanabba Castle, serves as a servant to Paul but also deceives him with elaborate false identities. ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _professional_ Philbrick, the butler at Llanabba Castle, serves as a servant to Paul but also deceives him with elaborate false identities. ### [Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/captain_grimes) _professional_ Grimes and Philbrick interact as fellow staff at Llanabba, sharing a mutual disdain and engaging in petty deceptions. ### [Dr. Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/dr_fagan) _professional_ Dr. Fagan employs Philbrick as his butler, but Philbrick secretly steals from him and fabricates stories. ### [Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/captain_grimes) _professional_ Grimes and Philbrick interact as fellow staff at Llanabba, sharing a mutual disdain and engaging in petty deceptions. ### [Dr. Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/dr_fagan) _professional_ Dr. Fagan employs Philbrick as his butler, but Philbrick secretly steals from him and fabricates stories. ## In the story ### [III: Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-iii-captain-grimes) Serves as butler at dinner and later appears in the pub, offering introductions to young ladies. ### [Mr. Prendergast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-iv-mr-prendergast) Appears briefly to tell Paul breakfast is in ten minutes. ### [Discipline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-v-discipline) Suspected by the boys of being more than a butler, due to his diamond tiepin and ring. ### [VII: Philbrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-vii-philbrick) Reveals his criminal past and identity as Sir Solomon Philbrick, detailing his partnership with Toby Cruttwell and his current life as a pub owner. ### [IX: The Sports—Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-ix-the-sports-continued) Engages in a discussion on greyhound-racing and later shares a violent anecdote about a Chinese man, revealing his own prejudices and boastful nature. ### [XI: Philbrick—Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-xi-philbrick-continued) Philbrick is the subject of the chapter, having told each master a different elaborate story about his past, revealing his deceptive and mysterious nature. ### [XII: The Agony of Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-xii-the-agony-of-captain-grimes) Sends champagne to Grimes; denies his earlier stories about being a shipowner, novelist, and burglar; leaves the hotel with obsequious service. ### [XIII: The Passing of a Public School Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-xiii-the-passing-of-a-public-school-man) Flees Llanabba ahead of arrest for false pretences and impersonation. ### [V: The Latin-American Entertainment Co. Ltd.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-v-the-latin-american-entertainment-co-ltd) Seen at a restaurant; mentions he considered buying Llanabba and warns Paul about potential trouble for Margot. ### [Stone Walls Do Not a Prison Make](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-i-stone-walls-do-not-a-prison-make) Already an inmate at Blackstone Gaol, working as a reception bath cleaner; greets Paul and provides him with prison clothes. ### [II: The Lucas-Dockery Experiments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-ii-the-lucas-dockery-experiments) Now the reception-cleaner at Blackstone, he claims to be the Governor's brother, Sir Solomon Lucas-Dockery. ### [Resurrection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-vii-resurrection) Philbrick is seen briefly in a Rolls-Royce in Oxford, waving to Paul. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/philbrick - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters