# Rob the Grinder — Dombey and Son character guide

> Rob the Grinder in Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Rob, Grinder, Rob the Grinder, Robin

**First appearance:** 0018-xv-amazing-artfulness-of-captain-cuttle-and-a-new-pursuit-for-walter-gay

## Snapshot

A sharp-faced charity boy apprenticed to the grindstone, he slips between households and loyalties with an eye always on the main chance.

## Who they are

Rob the Grinder, son of the honest Toodles, is put to work at Mr. Dombey's warehouse and later taken up by Captain Cuttle, but his restless ambition and taste for easy money keep him drifting toward dangerous patrons. He is clever, resentful of drudgery, and easily bought, a boy whose future hangs between the decent world and the criminal one. His wavering loyalty makes him a small but telling index of how the novel's London rewards and corrupts the poor.

## Relationships

### [Captain Cuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters/captain_cuttle)

_professional_

Captain Cuttle employs Rob the Grinder as a servant, treating him with gruff kindness, though Rob later betrays his trust.

### [Captain Cuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters/captain_cuttle)

_professional_

Captain Cuttle employs Rob the Grinder as a servant, treating him with gruff kindness, though Rob later betrays his trust.

### [Captain Cuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters/captain_cuttle)

_professional_

Captain Cuttle employs Rob the Grinder as a servant, treating him with gruff kindness, though Rob later betrays his trust.

## In the story

### [A Trifle of Management by Mr. Carker the Manager](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxii-a-trifle-of-management-by-mr-carker-the-manager)

Taken under Carker's patronage; he is instructed to spy on Solomon Gills and report on visitors.

### [Strange News of Uncle Sol](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxv-strange-news-of-uncle-sol)

Delivers the keys and packet to Captain Cuttle and is treated with suspicion.

### [The Wooden Midshipman Goes to Pieces](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxxii-the-wooden-midshipman-goes-to-pieces)

Taught a secret whistle signal by the Captain; feigns sympathy while acting deceitfully.

### [Miss Tox Improves an Old Acquaintance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxxviii-miss-tox-improves-an-old-acquaintance)

The eldest Toodle child, now a young man, is drawn out by Miss Tox and presents himself as virtuous, but later spends her half-crown dishonestly.

### [XXXIX: Further Adventures of Captain Edward Cuttle, Mariner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxxix-further-adventures-of-captain-edward-cuttle-mariner)

The Captain's trusted companion, but he proves false: he steals pigeons, money, and a jacket, then leaves after insulting the Midshipman, causing the Captain great distress.

### [Recognizant and Reflective](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xlvi-recognizant-and-reflective)

Anxiously interacts with Mrs. Brown and Alice, fearing his master's discovery of their association.

### [Secret Intelligence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/lii-secret-intelligence)

Brings Carker's parrot and reluctantly reveals that Edith and Carker left separately to meet at an appointed place.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters/rob_the_grinder
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters