Our Mutual Friend · Character

Silas Wegg

A one-legged ballad-seller with a wooden leg and a wooden conscience, he is hired to read to Mr. Boffin and quietly plots to read himself into the will.

major

Also known as Wegg, Mr. Wegg, Silas, the wooden Wegg

First appearance: Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself

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

See Silas Wegg in Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself Book page

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Wegg first meets Boffin as a street singer and is later installed in the Bower as a reader, a position he treats as a foothold for something larger. His cautious, self-serving manner—always weighing what a man might wish to do some day—conceals a scheme to profit from a hidden document connected to the Harmon estate. As Boffin's household grows grander, Wegg's petty treachery becomes the novel's sharpest satire on the greed that wealth attracts.

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See Silas Wegg in Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself

Character Web

28 connections

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

Relationship types

Professional
Social
Other

Character groups

Central characters and rivals
Veneering dinner guests

+23 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…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Mr. Boffin
professional · negative
Mr. Venus
professional · ambivalent
Eugene Wrayburn
social · negative
Eugene Wrayburn
social · negative
Mr. Boffin
professional · negative
Mr. Venus
professional · ambivalent
Mr. Boffin
professional · negative
Mr. Venus
professional · ambivalent
Eugene Wrayburn
social · negative

Mr. Boffin
Mr. Boffin hires Silas Wegg as a reader and later as a clerk, but Wegg secretly plots to blackmail him.
Mr. Venus
Mr. Venus, a taxidermist, initially partners with Wegg in a scheme to defraud Boffin, but later betrays Wegg out of conscience.
Eugene Wrayburn
Eugene and Silas Wegg are barely connected, with Eugene regarding Wegg with amused contempt as a lowly street vendor.
Eugene Wrayburn
Eugene and Silas Wegg are barely connected, with Eugene regarding Wegg with amused contempt as a lowly street vendor.
Mr. Boffin
Mr. Boffin hires Silas Wegg as a reader and later as a clerk, but Wegg secretly plots to blackmail him.
Mr. Venus
Mr. Venus, a taxidermist, initially partners with Wegg in a scheme to defraud Boffin, but later betrays Wegg out of conscience.
Mr. Boffin
Mr. Boffin hires Silas Wegg as a reader and later as a clerk, but Wegg secretly plots to blackmail him.
Mr. Venus
Mr. Venus, a taxidermist, initially partners with Wegg in a scheme to defraud Boffin, but later betrays Wegg out of conscience.
Eugene Wrayburn
Eugene and Silas Wegg are barely connected, with Eugene regarding Wegg with amused contempt as a lowly street vendor.

Relationship notes

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See Silas Wegg in Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself

In the story

Silas Wegg appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Book the First: The Cup and the Lip
Hired by Mr. Boffin to read books aloud, marking his entry into the Boffin household.
Boffin's Bower
A one-legged street vendor hired by Mr. Boffin as a reader; he is cunning, self-important, and sees the job as an opportunity for profit.
Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself
Visits Mr. Venus to buy back his amputated leg, revealing his ambition and desire for respectability.
Two New Servants
Literary man with a wooden leg; Mr. Boffin fears his jealousy and plans to offer him a new position.
A Dismal Swamp
Remains at the Bower, secretly searching under bedsteads and in dust-mounds with an iron rod, hoping to find something.
Book the Second: Birds of a Feather
Silas Wegg remains in Mr. Boffin's employ as his reader, scheming in the background.
In Which a Friendly Move Is Originated
Resents Boffin's visits; manipulates Boffin with nostalgia; completes purchase from Venus; proposes joint search of the dust mounds.
A Successor
Gloats over the failure of the adoption plan, performing a triumphant dance in the Bower.
Book the Third: A Long Lane
Silas Wegg is plotting with Mr. Venus to use the discovered will against Mr. Boffin.
The Golden Dustman Falls Into Worse Company
Frustrated with the slow progress of his scheme, Wegg entertains Mr. Venus and reads tales of misers to Mr. Boffin, becoming increasingly suspicious of Boffin's actions.
The Friendly Move Takes Up a Strong Position
Reveals finding a cashbox, proposes controlling Mr. Boffin, and manipulates Mr. Venus by referencing Pleasant Riderhood.
Mr. Wegg Prepares a Grindstone for Mr. Boffin’s Nose
Grows increasingly resentful of Mr. Boffin, viewing Boffin's actions as theft of his own property; plans to threaten Boffin and assert control over the Harmon estate.
The Golden Dustman Sinks Again
Takes a threatening and domineering tone with Mr. Boffin, demanding a three-way split of the estate, a thousand-pound charge for a bottle, and the discharge of Rokesmith; he escorts Boffin to Venus's shop.
Checkmate to the Friendly Move
Wegg is gaunt and haggard from keeping watch over the Mound removal, but anticipates his revenge on Mr. Boffin. He is ultimately outwitted, humiliated, and physically ejected by Sloppy.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Silas Wegg unlock in the free preview.

See Silas Wegg in Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself