# Mr. Roberts — Diverging Roads character guide

> Mr. Roberts in Diverging Roads by Rose Wilder Lane.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0001-diverging-roads

## Snapshot

The telegraph office manager whose insult and grudging tolerance force Helen to defend her decency and then hand her the telegram that opens her escape to San Francisco.

## Who they are

Roberts sits behind the railing at his desk, a man Helen shrinks from, despises, and fears all at once, until she confronts him about the names he called her and the ten dollars she owes. He keeps her on only because she is a good clerk, and his dislike is almost hatred when he lays the San Francisco telegram before her and tells her to get out. He matters because his petty cruelty and the opportunity it accidentally delivers push Helen toward the night-duty job that begins her new life.

## In the story

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/v)

Shows kindness to Helen, lends her money, but also displays puzzling affectionate and cold behavior.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/vii)

In a black mood, he violently accuses Helen of manipulation and deceit, then later reluctantly allows her to keep her job before she receives a transfer offer.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/mr_roberts
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters