# Daniel Doyce — Little Dorrit character guide

> Daniel Doyce in Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Doyce, Daniel

**First appearance:** 0024-xxii-a-puzzle

## Snapshot

An honest, ingenious mechanic whose inventions are stolen and shelved by government offices, he becomes the one colleague Arthur Clennam can trust without reservation.

## Who they are

Doyce embodies the novel's quiet argument that merit and patience go unrewarded while pomp and speculation flourish. His workshop is a refuge of plain dealing, and his partnership with Arthur gives the drifting hero a purpose worth failing at. When the Circumlocution Office buries his engine in red tape, his patient shrug measures the cost of a society that cannot use its own best men.

## Relationships

### [Arthur Clennam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/arthur_clennam)

_professional_

Arthur partners with the inventor Daniel Doyce in a business venture, respecting his genius and integrity.

### [Arthur Clennam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/arthur_clennam)

_professional_

Arthur partners with the inventor Daniel Doyce in a business venture, respecting his genius and integrity.

### [Arthur Clennam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/arthur_clennam)

_professional_

Arthur partners with the inventor Daniel Doyce in a business venture, respecting his genius and integrity.

## In the story

### [Containing the Whole Science of Government](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/x-containing-the-whole-science-of-government)

The short man collared by Mr. Meagles; a practical-looking man with grey hair and deep lines of cogitation, holding a spectacle-case.

### [Bleeding Heart Yard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xii-bleeding-heart-yard)

Accompanies Arthur and Mr. Meagles into Bleeding Heart Yard; his factory is located at the gateway.

### [Nobody's Weakness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xvi-nobody-s-weakness)

Meets Arthur on the road; walks with him to Twickenham; described as modest, sensible, and an ingenious inventor.

### [Nobody's Rival](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xvii-nobody-s-rival)

Provides Clennam with a skeptical assessment of Gowan's artistic abilities.

### [Machinery in Motion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxiii-machinery-in-motion)

Agrees to let Clennam examine his business books and papers, but stipulates conditions to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

### [Nobody's State of Mind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxvi-nobody-s-state-of-mind)

Expresses concern about Henry Gowan's influence on the Meagles family; shares a candid conversation with Clennam about Gowan.

### [A Shoal of Barnacles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxxiv-a-shoal-of-barnacles)

Declines the wedding invitation, preferring not to eat and drink with the Barnacles after their obstructive behavior.

### [The Dowager Mrs. Gowan Is Reminded That "It Never Does"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/viii-the-dowager-mrs-gowan-is-reminded-that-it-never-does)

The elder partner, an ingenious inventor who perseveres despite the Circumlocution Office's obstruction; explains his invention to Clennam.

### [Who Passes by This Road So Late?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxii-who-passes-by-this-road-so-late)

Departs for a journey, leaving Arthur to pursue the matter of the invention and the missing man.

### [Reaping the Whirlwind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxvi-reaping-the-whirlwind)

Mentioned as Arthur's injured partner, whose reputation Arthur is determined to clear at all costs.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/daniel_doyce
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters