Our Mutual Friend · Character

Lavinia Wilfer

Bella's sharp-tongued younger sister, who runs the Wilfer household with a whisk and a jab and keeps her suitor George Sampson under stinging discipline.

supporting

Also known as Miss Lavinia, Lavinia, Lavvy, the sharp Lavinia

First appearance: The R. Wilfer Family

As a supporting figure in Our Mutual Friend, Lavinia Wilfer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The younger sister who bickers with Bella and picks up draught pieces after Bella knocks them off the table.

In the storyThe R. Wilfer FamilyOpen this moment free

See Lavinia Wilfer in The R. Wilfer Family Book page

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Lavinia is the bold, sardonic daughter who lays the tablecloth as if raising the wind and punctures her mother's martyred airs with a single retort. Her affections have shifted to George Sampson, but she punishes him for having overlooked her first, holding him in a course of stinging discipline. Her irreverent eye exposes the family's genteel poverty from the inside, making the Wilfer household comic and painfully real.

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See Lavinia Wilfer in The R. Wilfer Family

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Lavinia Wilfer sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Minor characters and background figures
Central characters and rivals
Veneering dinner guests
Lower-class and supporting figures
Protagonist

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Betty Higden’s life…

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In the story

Lavinia Wilfer appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The R. Wilfer Family
The younger sister who bickers with Bella and picks up draught pieces after Bella knocks them off the table.
A Happy Return of the Day
Assists with table-setting reluctantly, makes irreverent comments about her mother, and supports Bella's mischievous behavior.
The Feast of the Three Hobgoblins
Bella's sister, who taunts Bella about the Boffins and announces that George Sampson is paying his addresses to her.
Concerning the Mendicant's Bride
Feels betrayed by Bella's secret marriage but is won over during the tea visit.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Lavinia Wilfer unlock in the free preview.

See Lavinia Wilfer in The R. Wilfer Family