# Tibby Schlegel — Howards End character guide

> Tibby Schlegel in Howards End by E. M. Forster.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tibby, Auntie Tibby

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

The Schlegels' drowsy, well-fed younger brother, whose languid detachment and expensive education mask a sharp, unsparing intelligence about the people around him.

## Who they are

Tibby drifts through the Schlegel household in a haze of naps, meals, and half-finished sentences, leaving his sisters to manage the family's emotional weather. His studied indifference — he can barely rouse himself to answer a telephone — is both a comic running joke and a quiet indictment of the cultured leisure class he represents. When the Wilcoxes and Basts collide with the Schlegels, Tibby's passivity becomes a kind of moral barometer: he notices everything and commits to nothing.

## Relationships

### [Helen Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/helen_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings with a warm but distant relationship, as Tibby's detached intellectualism contrasts with Helen's passionate nature.

### [Margaret Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/margaret_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings, with Margaret acting as a maternal caretaker for the aloof and scholarly Tibby.

### [Helen Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/helen_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings with a warm but distant relationship, as Tibby's detached intellectualism contrasts with Helen's passionate nature.

### [Margaret Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/margaret_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings, with Margaret acting as a maternal caretaker for the aloof and scholarly Tibby.

### [Helen Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/helen_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings with a warm but distant relationship, as Tibby's detached intellectualism contrasts with Helen's passionate nature.

### [Margaret Schlegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/margaret_schlegel)

_family_

Siblings, with Margaret acting as a maternal caretaker for the aloof and scholarly Tibby.

## In the story

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/ii)

Tibby is unwell with hay fever, which prevents Margaret from leaving London and ultimately leads to Aunt Juley being sent in her place.

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

Attends the concert with the family, focusing on the technical aspects of the music; later criticized by Helen for not making Leonard Bast welcome.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/viii)

Briefly appears at the start of the chapter, eating plums and not being told about Helen's affairs.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/x)

Talks to Margaret at lunch about his day-school, though she is distracted.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xii)

Describes his visit to Oxford for a scholarship; sensitive to beauty but makes no friends.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xiii)

Debates with Margaret about work and civilization, expresses disdain for the Wilcoxes, and remains detached from the household drama.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xiv)

Present during the visit, but leaves the room, preferring his comedy undiluted.

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xvii)

Mentioned as Margaret's chaperon for Henry's visit to Eustace Miles's restaurant.

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xviii)

Tibby asks a subtle question about the Wilcoxes and contributes to the family's indecision about the house.

### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xx)

Mentioned as having a conversation with Henry about Greece and currant-farm shares.

### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxiii)

Mentioned by Helen as someone she will make no concessions to.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxv)

Never responds to his wedding invitation.

### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxx)

Reluctantly agrees to handle Helen's commissions regarding the Basts and the money.

### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxxi)

Accepts Henry's offer to store furniture at Howards End, avoiding decisions about the future.

### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxxiii)

His old bassinette is placed in the nursery by Miss Avery.

### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxxiv)

Tibby offers detached, logical advice and suggests telling Mr. Wilcox about Helen.

### [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xxxix)

Passive and detached, he inadvertently betrays Helen's confidence by mentioning the Basts under Charles's pressure.

### [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/chapters/xli)

Asleep in the smoking-room when Leonard calls; he provides vague information about Margaret's whereabouts.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters/tibby_schlegel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/howards_end_se/characters