# The Gentleman at Bath — Moll Flanders character guide

> The Gentleman at Bath in Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** this gentleman, my gentleman, the gentleman, the gentleman who , as I said , singled me out for his companion the winter before ; and he came down again with another gentleman in his company and two servants , and lodged in the same house

**First appearance:** 0001-moll-flanders

## Snapshot

A married man of wealth and leisure who takes Moll as his mistress at the spa town, offering comfort and affection without the inconvenience of matrimony.

## Who they are

He singles Moll out at Bath and installs her in lodgings, providing the material ease she craves while his wife remains conveniently distant. Their arrangement is tender but fundamentally unequal — he can abandon her at any moment, and his eventual illness and religious scruples force him to do exactly that. He represents the precarious luxury of the kept woman's life, a recurring temptation in Moll's world.

## Relationships

### [The Bank Clerk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_bank_clerk)

_friendship_

They are close friends and confidants, with the Bank Clerk often seeking advice from the Gentleman at Bath regarding Moll.

### [The Governess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_governess)

_professional_

The Governess acts as a facilitator and intermediary for the Gentleman at Bath's romantic arrangements with Moll.

### [Moll Flanders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/moll_flanders)

_romantic_

Moll has a long-term, passionate but ultimately doomed affair with the Gentleman at Bath, who is married.

### [The Captain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_captain)

_professional_

The Captain occasionally interacts with the Gentleman at Bath through shared social or business circles.

### [Mrs. Betty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/mrs_betty)

_romantic_

Mrs. Betty (Moll) has a clandestine romantic relationship with the Gentleman at Bath during her time in Bath.

### [The Elder Brother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_elder_brother)

_social_

The Elder Brother and the Gentleman at Bath are distant acquaintances, likely from similar social strata.

### [Robin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/robin)

_social_

Robin and the Gentleman at Bath have no significant relationship, only tangential social connection.

### [The Bank Clerk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_bank_clerk)

_friendship_

They are close friends and confidants, with the Bank Clerk often seeking advice from the Gentleman at Bath regarding Moll.

### [The Governess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_governess)

_professional_

The Governess acts as a facilitator and intermediary for the Gentleman at Bath's romantic arrangements with Moll.

### [Moll Flanders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/moll_flanders)

_romantic_

Moll has a long-term, passionate but ultimately doomed affair with the Gentleman at Bath, who is married.

### [The Bank Clerk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_bank_clerk)

_friendship_

They are close friends and confidants, with the Bank Clerk often seeking advice from the Gentleman at Bath regarding Moll.

### [Robin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/robin)

_social_

Robin and the Gentleman at Bath have no significant relationship, only tangential social connection.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters/the_gentleman_at_bath
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moll_flanders_se/characters