# Deception and Self-Deception in Memoirs of a Midget

> Theme guide for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

The narrator engages in elaborate deceptions (e.g., the circus plot, hiding her feelings) while also confronting Fanny's hypocrisy and her own vanity, highlighting the gap between appearance and reality in human relations.

## Where it surfaces

- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/iv): The narrator's attempt to pretend to be asleep to surprise her mother leads to tragic consequences, and her father's self-deception about his financial schemes is evident.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/v): The narrator admits to being 'double-minded' and acknowledges her own pride and stubbornness, while also recognizing the self-deception in others' complaints about Providence.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/vii): The narrator mocks the Dream Book's predictions yet later reflects on living in 'great state,' hinting at self-deception about her own fortunes.
- [The Night Watch and the Return of Fanny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/x): The narrator hides her nightly expeditions from Mrs. Bowater, buries a bloodstained nightgown, and pretends to be bold while feeling exposed and fearful of being 'found out.'
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xi): The narrator grapples with guilt over her secret stargazing and considers confessing, while Fanny's promise not to 'tell' introduces a layer of mutual secrecy.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xii): Fanny orchestrates the tea invitation under false pretenses, and both she and Miss M. struggle with hidden emotions and the gap between outward behavior and inner truth.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xiv): The narrator admits to shutting her eyes to Fanny's commonness and cruelty, and reflects on the duplicity of appearances versus inner reality.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xvi): The narrator realizes her own stupidity in not considering how Fanny left the house, and Mrs. Bowater's silent knowledge underscores layers of concealment.
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xvii): Mr. Crimble's visit is a study in self-deception: he pretends to seek the narrator's generosity while actually asking her to conceal the truth from Fanny.
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xviii): Fanny's two letters—one secret, one for show—highlight the theme of deception. The narrator also deceives herself about her feelings for Fanny.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xix): The narrator's internal shame about forgetting their step-grandfather and the polite facades maintained during the tea party suggest layers of self-deception.
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xx): The narrator amends Fanny's message to Mr. Crimble, leading to a web of deceit and self-reflection on truth and falsehood.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxi): The narrator struggles with self-deception about her role in Fanny and Mr. Crimble's relationship, and Fanny's letter exposes the narrator's own pretensions.
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxii): The stranger's secrecy and the narrator's own romanticized view of their meeting suggest layers of concealment and self-deception.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxiii): The narrator's internal conflict about the Stranger's gentility and her own snobbery; Mrs. Bowater's rigid questioning exposes the social deceptions at play.
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxiv): The narrator chooses a poem for its general appeal rather than personal meaning, and Mrs. Monnerie's questioning reveals the gap between appearance and understanding.
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxv): The narrator questions Mrs. Monnerie's true nature and Mrs. Bowater's evasiveness, while also reflecting on her own self-perception as a 'bubble' reflecting the universe.
- [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxvi): The narrator feigns innocence about Mr. Anon's presence, and Mrs. Bowater pretends to sleep while observing.
- [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxvii): Fanny's letter is full of evasions and temporizing, deceiving Mr. Crimble about her intentions; the narrator colludes in this deceit, feeling guilty but powerless.
- [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxviii): The narrator reflects on her own vanity and satisfaction after feeding on Mr. Anon's 'strange heart,' and later feels a sudden hatred for Mrs. Bowater, questioning her own affections.
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxix): The narrator hides Fanny's secret note and conceals her own emotions from Mrs. Bowater, while Fanny's plea for money involves deception about her circumstances.
- [The Inquest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxx): The narrator hides her true feelings and actions from Mrs. Bowater, while also grappling with her own guilt and the lies she tells herself.
- [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxi): The narrator and Fanny both grapple with self-deception about their motives and feelings, particularly regarding Mr. Crimble and the money.
- [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxii): Miss M. remains silent about her true feelings with Mrs. Bowater, and the picture of London as a sleeping boar suggests hidden truths.
- [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxiii): The narrator evades Susan's questions and downplays her own role in Mr. Crimble's story, while Mrs. Monnerie uses the tragedy for her own amusement.
- [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxv): Fanny's letter reveals her cynical self-awareness and the masks she wears, while the narrator struggles with her own changed identity and perceptions.
- [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxvii): The narrator admits to pretending and acting without full awareness, and criticizes her own pretentiousness in London society.
- [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxviii): The narrator questions their own motives in helping Fanny, and Susan's candid remarks contrast with the narrator's hidden anxieties.
- [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxix): The narrator and Fanny share secrets about parentage and the 'Crimble chapter,' while Fanny hides her true motives behind a facade of mockery and heartlessness.
- [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xl): The narrator deceives herself about her own insignificance and jealousy, while also suspecting Fanny of betraying her confidence.
- [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xli): The narrator deceives Fanny about the letter, and later deceives herself about her motives for leaving it behind.
- [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlii): The narrator promises help to Fanny that she cannot possibly deliver, and admits to being 'half-blind' and hostile, suggesting a failure to see herself or others clearly.
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xliii): Mrs. Monnerie's cruel joke about nightingale tongues and the narrator's own desperate bravado in drinking the liqueur highlight layers of deceit.
- [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xliv): The narrator reflects on her own follies and lack of true penitence, acknowledging a heart 'empty' and 'parched up' with no room for love or remorse.
- [XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlv): The narrator's dream and her boastful self-assessment reveal a tension between her inner doubts and outward resolve.
- [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlvi): The narrator deceives her household to escape to the circus and adopts a false identity as a fairy princess, blurring the line between reality and performance.
- [XLVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlvii): The narrator deceives the crowd as a fortune-teller, lies to Adam about legal consequences, and grapples with her own self-deception regarding love and identity.
- [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlviii): Fanny accuses the narrator of hypocrisy and betrayal, while the narrator insists on her innocence; both characters engage in self-justification.
- [XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlix): The narrator enjoys her own deception, pretending to be jealous of the Spanish Princess while secretly relishing the situation. Fanny's subtle manipulations also contribute to this theme.
- [Wanderslore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/wanderslore): The chapter explores the layers of deceit within the estate, both in the interactions between characters and in their own self-perceptions.
- [L](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/l): Fanny's deceptive note to Mr. Anon and the narrator's own half-truths in her story underscore the theme.
- [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/li): The narrator's disguise and the 'monstrous mummery' of the circus highlight themes of deception, as she hides her true self to gain freedom and approval.
- [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/lii): The narrator's disguise and the psychological struggle with Fanny and Mrs. Monnerie underscore the theme of deception, both of others and of oneself.
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/endnotes): The narrator presents a substitute motto, withholding the real one as too satirical, and expresses both hope and misgiving about its truth.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/themes/deception_and_self_deception
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/themes