# Mr. Burgess — Pastors and Masters character guide

> Mr. Burgess in Pastors and Masters by Ivy Compton-Burnett.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Burgess

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

The under-master who lingers over his bacon and his newspaper, treating the school's morning rituals as interruptions to his own comfort.

## Who they are

Mr. Burgess is the junior master at the Herrick school, summoned late to breakfast and teased by the boys for his fondness for his bed. He performs his religious duties with an air of attentive interest while keeping one eye on the sky and the other on his paper. His easy, self-pleasing presence sharpens the contrast with Mr. Merry's anxious fussing over duty.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Merry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/mr_merry)

_rivalry_

Mr. Burgess and Mr. Merry are antagonists, competing for influence or authority within the school hierarchy.

### [Miss Basden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/miss_basden)

_professional_

Miss Basden and Mr. Burgess have a professional relationship, likely as colleagues with some underlying tension.

### [Mr. Merry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/mr_merry)

_rivalry_

Mr. Burgess and Mr. Merry are antagonists, competing for influence or authority within the school hierarchy.

### [Miss Basden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/miss_basden)

_professional_

Miss Basden and Mr. Burgess have a professional relationship, likely as colleagues with some underlying tension.

### [Mr. Merry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/mr_merry)

_rivalry_

Mr. Burgess and Mr. Merry are antagonists, competing for influence or authority within the school hierarchy.

### [Miss Basden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/miss_basden)

_professional_

Miss Basden and Mr. Burgess have a professional relationship, likely as colleagues with some underlying tension.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/chapters/i)

A parent visiting the school; Mr. Merry reassures him about his son's care and the school's virtues.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/mr_burgess
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters