# Unknown Narrator — Moribund Society and Anarchy character guide > Unknown Narrator in Moribund Society and Anarchy by Jean Grave. **Role:** major **Also known as:** our, ourselves, Our **First appearance:** 0001-moribund-society-and-anarchy ## Snapshot The unnamed first-person voice who walks the reader through society's ruins, insisting that the human animal is neither saint nor devil but a creature warped by its cage. ## Who they are This narrator speaks as "we," a collective eye trained on the contract of mutual insurance that society claims to be, and on the misery it actually produces. The tension driving the voice is its refusal to blame human nature for crimes that belong to social organization, even as it admits man is a sorry animal who crushes or licks heels by turns. That double vision—sympathy without sentimentality—sets the book's method in motion, making the reader a co-investigator rather than a pupil. ## Relationships ### [Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/anarchy) _psychological_ The Unknown Narrator seems obsessed with analyzing and defining Anarchy, creating a dynamic of intellectual pursuit and ideological fixation. ### [Their Masters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/their_masters) _psychological_ The Unknown Narrator observes Their Masters with a critical, analytical eye, often depicting them as oppressive figures. ### [The Anarchists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/the_anarchists) _social_ The Unknown Narrator interacts with The Anarchists as a chronicler and commentator on their activities and beliefs. ### [The Workman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/the_workman) _social_ The Workman and the Unknown Narrator have a distant, observational relationship, with the Narrator documenting the Workman's struggles. ### [M. G. Ville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/m_g_ville) _social_ The Unknown Narrator references or engages with M. G. Ville's writings as part of the broader intellectual discourse. ### [Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/anarchy) _psychological_ The Unknown Narrator seems obsessed with analyzing and defining Anarchy, creating a dynamic of intellectual pursuit and ideological fixation. ### [Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/anarchy) _psychological_ The Unknown Narrator seems obsessed with analyzing and defining Anarchy, creating a dynamic of intellectual pursuit and ideological fixation. ## In the story ### [Moribund Society and Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/moribund-society-and-anarchy) The narrator presents the critique of moribund society and advocates for anarchy. ### [I: The Anarchistic Idea and Its Development](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/i-the-anarchistic-idea-and-its-development) The narrator presents the anarchist critique of authority and private property, tracing the development of anarchist ideas and their spread across society. ### [III: Too Abstract](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/iii-too-abstract) The narrator speaks for the anarchist perspective, explaining the rationale behind abstract propaganda and critiquing authoritarian socialism. ### [IV: Is Man Evil?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/iv-is-man-evil) The narrator presents the anarchist perspective, arguing against the notion that man is inherently evil and advocating for social transformation. ### [V: Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/v-property) The narrator presents the anarchist critique of property and authority, using scientific evolution to undermine divine justifications. ### [VI: The Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/vi-the-family) The narrator presents a historical and critical analysis of the family, arguing for free unions and against legal marriage. ### [VII: Authority](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/vii-authority) Presents the anarchist critique of universal suffrage and authority. ### [VIII: The Magistracy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/viii-the-magistracy) The narrator delivers a sustained critique of the magistracy and law, speaking for the anarchist perspective. ### [IX: The Right to Punish and the Savants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/ix-the-right-to-punish-and-the-savants) The narrator speaks as 'us Anarchists' and 'we,' attacking authority and legality. ### [X: The Influence of Environment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/x-the-influence-of-environment) The narrator presents the argument that environment, not human nature, determines morality and behavior. ### [XI: “The Country”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xi-the-country) Presents the anarchist critique of patriotism and war, arguing that workers should not fight for bourgeois interests. ### [XIII: Militarism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xiii-militarism) The narrator directly addresses the reader, urging reflection on the horrors of barracks life and exposing the lies of bourgeois writers. ### [Colonization](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xiv-colonization) The narrator presents a scathing critique of colonization, using personal experience in the naval service to illustrate the brutality and hypocrisy of colonial practices. ### [XV: There Are No Inferior Races](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xv-there-are-no-inferior-races) The narrator speaks as a worker, rejecting the notion of inferior races and defending the potential of all peoples. ### [XVI: Why We Are Revolutionists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xvi-why-we-are-revolutionists) Presents the revolutionary argument, using 'we' and 'our' to speak for the anarchist perspective. ### [XVII: As to What Means Follow from the Principles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xvii-as-to-what-means-follow-from-the-principles) The narrator presents the anarchist position, arguing that means must align with principles and that authority must be rejected even in revolutionary tactics. ### [Revolution and Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xviii-revolution-and-anarchy) The narrator articulates the distinction between revolution as a means versus an end, and advocates for the propagation of Anarchist ideas to create conscious individuals. ### [XX: The Experimental Method](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xx-the-experimental-method) Presents the anarchist argument as a scientific experimental method, contrasting it with reformist empiricism. ### [XXI: What Then?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xxi-what-then) Presents the anarchist perspective, responding to opponents' questions and defending the revolutionary vision. ### [Anarchism and Its Practicability](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xxii-anarchism-and-its-practicability) The narrator presents the anarchist perspective, arguing against objections to practicability and urging action based on conviction. ### [XXIII: The Unvarnished Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/chapters/xxiii-the-unvarnished-truth) Speaks for 'we' who prefer securing conviction through logic and reason, and who seek the unvarnished truth. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters/unknown_narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moribund_society_and_anarchy_se/characters