# Monks — Oliver Twist character guide

> Monks in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Mr. Monks

**First appearance:** 0025-xxvi-in-which-a-mysterious-character-appears-upon-the-scene-and-many-things-inseparable-from-this-history-are-done-and-performed

## Snapshot

A brooding, violent stranger who pays Fagin to keep Oliver in crime and boasts that he will snare his young brother at every turn in life.

## Who they are

Monks is the hidden hand behind Oliver's recapture: he strikes bargains with Fagin, laughs about drowning the proofs of the boy's identity, and speaks of hatred so earnest that Nancy would rather face anyone else. He is not a thief but something worse — a man with a grievance and a birthright, watching Oliver from the shadows. His conspiracy gives the early and middle chapters their menace, turning a story about a lost boy into a story about who wants him lost, and why.

## In the story

### [Chapter XXVI: In Which a Mysterious Character Appears Upon the Scene; and Many Things, Inseparable from This History, Are Done and Performed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxvi-in-which-a-mysterious-character-appears-upon-the-scene-and-many-things-inseparable-from-this-history-are-done-and-performed)

Monks meets Fagin secretly at the Cripples, expressing fear of being watched, but is eventually convinced it was his imagination.

### [XXXVII: In Which the Reader May Perceive a Contrast, Not Uncommon in Matrimonial Cases](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxvii-in-which-the-reader-may-perceive-a-contrast-not-uncommon-in-matrimonial-cases)

A mysterious stranger who meets with Bumble to inquire about the nurse who attended Oliver's mother, showing agitation and secrecy.

### [XXXVIII: Containing an Account of What Passed Between Mr. and Mrs. Bumble, and Mr. Monks, at Their Nocturnal Interview](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxviii-containing-an-account-of-what-passed-between-mr-and-mrs-bumble-and-mr-monks-at-their-nocturnal-interview)

Arranges the nocturnal meeting, threatens the Bumbles, and disposes of incriminating evidence in the river.

### [Chapter XXXIX: Introduces Some Respectable Characters with Whom the Reader Is Already Acquainted, and Shows How Monks and the Jew Laid Their Worthy Heads Together](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xxxix-introduces-some-respectable-characters-with-whom-the-reader-is-already-acquainted-and-shows-how-monks-and-the-jew-laid-their-worthy-heads-together)

Arrives unexpectedly at Fagin's room, drawing back upon seeing Nancy.

### [A Strange Interview, Which Is a Sequel to the Last Chapter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xl-a-strange-interview-which-is-a-sequel-to-the-last-chapter)

Revealed through Nancy's account as Oliver's brother who conspires with Fagin to ruin Oliver.

### [XLVI: The Appointment Kept](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xlvi-the-appointment-kept)

Described by Nancy in detail: tall, dark, with a lurking walk, sunken eyes, and a broad red mark on his throat.

### [Monks and Mr. Brownlow at Length Meet. Their Conversation, and the Intelligence That Interrupts It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/xlix-monks-and-mr-brownlow-at-length-meet-their-conversation-and-the-intelligence-that-interrupts-it)

Brought to Mr. Brownlow's house under guard; initially defiant but gradually overwhelmed by accusations.

### [Affording an Explanation of More Mysteries Than One, and Comprehending a Proposal of Marriage with No Word of Settlement or Pin-Money](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/li-affording-an-explanation-of-more-mysteries-than-one-and-comprehending-a-proposal-of-marriage-with-no-word-of-settlement-or-pin-money)

Forced to confess his plot; reveals himself as Oliver's half-brother and recounts the destruction of the will.

### [LIII: And Last](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/chapters/liii-and-last)

Takes his inheritance to America, squanders it, and dies in prison.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters/monks
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- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oliver_twist_se/characters