# Mr. Flintwinch — Little Dorrit character guide

> Mr. Flintwinch in Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Flintwinch, Jeremiah Flintwinch

**First appearance:** 0006-iv-mrs-flintwinch-has-a-dream

## Snapshot

Mrs. Clennam's twisted, sinister clerk, a man whose sidelong looks and quiet threats guard a house full of secrets he half-owns.

## Who they are

Flintwinch is the grim factotum of the Clennam house, shuffling through its dark rooms with his master's secrets and his own designs. He bullies his frightened wife Affery, watches Little Dorrit with suspicion, and treats the family's hidden history as property he can hold over everyone. His sly, menacing presence makes the Clennam household feel like a trap, and his knowledge of what is buried there drives the novel's central mystery.

## Relationships

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

_psychological_

Arthur is suspicious of Flintwinch's secretive and manipulative behavior, creating a tense, distrustful dynamic.

### [Affery Flintwinch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/affery_flintwinch)

_family_

Affery is Flintwinch's terrified, submissive wife, constantly bullied and manipulated by her domineering husband.

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

_psychological_

Arthur is suspicious of Flintwinch's secretive and manipulative behavior, creating a tense, distrustful dynamic.

### [Affery Flintwinch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/affery_flintwinch)

_family_

Affery is Flintwinch's terrified, submissive wife, constantly bullied and manipulated by her domineering husband.

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

_psychological_

Arthur is suspicious of Flintwinch's secretive and manipulative behavior, creating a tense, distrustful dynamic.

### [Affery Flintwinch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/affery_flintwinch)

_family_

Affery is Flintwinch's terrified, submissive wife, constantly bullied and manipulated by her domineering husband.

## In the story

### [Little Dorrit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/little-dorrit)

The Clennam family's loyal and manipulative servant, involved in the household's hidden dealings.

### [Mrs. Flintwinch Has a Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/iv-mrs-flintwinch-has-a-dream)

Appears both as the waking original and the sleeping double in Affery's dream; later shakes her and dismisses the incident as a nightmare.

### [Family Affairs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/v-family-affairs)

Jeremiah Flintwinch is appointed as Mrs. Clennam's new partner, darts a look of resentment at Arthur, and later dines with Arthur.

### [XV: Mrs. Flintwinch Has Another Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xv-mrs-flintwinch-has-another-dream)

Jeremiah Flintwinch engages in a tense exchange with Mrs. Clennam, asserting his independence and pressing her about Little Dorrit's secret.

### [Mrs. Flintwinch Goes on Dreaming](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxix-mrs-flintwinch-goes-on-dreaming)

Becomes more active in business, goes out to various commercial places, and holds daily councils with Mrs. Clennam; he also shakes Affery for forgetting not to call him Jeremiah.

### [The Word of a Gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxx-the-word-of-a-gentleman)

Guides Mr. Blandois through the house, grows suspicious of his constant watching, and shakes Affery for her strange behavior.

### [X: The Dreams of Mrs. Flintwinch Thicken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/x-the-dreams-of-mrs-flintwinch-thicken)

Engages with Blandois in a mocking, familiar manner; remains stolid and wooden, watching Arthur while Mrs. Clennam watches Blandois.

### [Missing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xvii-missing)

Mr. Flintwinch is present during Mr. Dorrit's visit and echoes Mrs. Clennam's evasive responses.

### [Mistress Affery Makes a Conditional Promise, Respecting Her Dreams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxiii-mistress-affery-makes-a-conditional-promise-respecting-her-dreams)

Smokes on the steps, shadows the tour, and displays a grim, suspicious demeanor that deepens Arthur's unease.

### [XXX: Closing In](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxx-closing-in)

Threatens Affery and is physically restrained by Rigaud after she reveals his twin brother's role in hiding the paper.

## Links

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