# Stein — Lord Jim character guide

> Stein in Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Stein, This Stein

**First appearance:** 0019-xviii

## Snapshot

A wealthy, imaginative trader and collector who becomes Jim's benefactor, sending him to Patusan with the conviction that a man can be redeemed by being given the right task.

## Who they are

Stein is a man of learning and quiet authority whose own past adventures have left him with a generous, almost philosophical view of human frailty. He recognizes in Jim a romantic—one of those imaginative people who swing farther in any direction, as if given a longer scope of cable in the uneasy anchorage of life—and decides that the remedy for such a nature is not punishment but a worthy field of action. His gift of Patusan is both an act of faith and an experiment, and his brief appearances anchor the novel's meditation on whether a man can be remade.

## Relationships

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters/jim)

_professional_

Stein is Jim's mentor and benefactor, giving him a second chance by sending him to Patusan and guiding his redemption.

### [Jewel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters/jewel)

_social_

Jewel meets Stein through Jim and regards him with respect as Jim's benefactor, though their connection is indirect.

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters/jim)

_professional_

Stein is Jim's mentor and benefactor, giving him a second chance by sending him to Patusan and guiding his redemption.

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters/jim)

_professional_

Stein is Jim's mentor and benefactor, giving him a second chance by sending him to Patusan and guiding his redemption.

## In the story

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/iii)

Not present in this chapter.

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

Stein reflects on his own past, narrates an ambush and butterfly capture, and offers a philosophical perspective on following one's dream.

### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxi)

Stein arranges Jim's placement in Patusan, having knowledge of the place and its former manager Cornelius.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxii)

Provides detailed intelligence on Patusan's politics and people; his sentimental motives for helping Jim are revealed.

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

Stein is mentioned as having instructed Jim to wait before building a house to avoid 'vain expense,' and as the owner of the brigantine that carries Jim to Patusan.

### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxiv)

Mentioned as the benefactor who intends to give Jim the house and trading goods, reinforcing Jim's new life.

### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxvi)

Mentioned as the giver of Doramin's magnificent flintlock pistols, in exchange for the ring.

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

Stein is referenced by Cornelius as the one who sent Jim to Patusan.

### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxxvi)

Marlow wonders if Jim had Stein in mind when he tried to write; Stein is mentioned as a possible recipient of Jim's message.

### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xxxvii)

Found in Samarang, deeply distressed, he leads Marlow to Jewel and defends Jim's truthfulness.

### [Chapter XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/chapters/xlv)

Stein is mentioned as aged and preparing to leave, with Jewel living in his house.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters/stein
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_jim_se/characters