# Mr. Thomas — Fred Gross Stories character guide

> Mr. Thomas in Fred Gross Stories by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Thomas, Mr. Thomas hadent

**First appearance:** 0000-own-your-own-home

## Snapshot

A suburban neighbor whose doorbell Grace rings with a card, only to find him ready to mistake her for a bill collector.

## Who they are

Mr. Thomas belongs to the revolving cast of suburbanites whose homes Grace and her husband visit in Ring Lardner's small-town social circuit, where card games, beer, and door-to-door calls structure the evenings. He answers his own door and, like Mr. Hamilton before him, jumps to the wrong conclusion about Grace's errand, a small comic beat that exposes how easily these neighbors misread one another. His brief appearance reinforces the story's running joke about suburban hospitality and the muddled transactions that pass for sociability.

## Relationships

### [Grace Charley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fred_gross_stories_se/characters/grace_charley)

_professional_

Grace and Mr. Thomas have a professional relationship, with Mr. Thomas as a colleague or business associate.

## In the story

### [Fore!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fred_gross_stories_se/chapters/fore)

Rival golfer; Fred bets $50 against him in a match.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fred_gross_stories_se/characters/mr_thomas
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fred_gross_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fred_gross_stories_se/characters