Psmith in the City · Character

Mr. Waller

A kind, exhausted bank cashier whose sick child turns him into a hollow-eyed machine at the counter, and whose troubles first stir Mike's sympathy.

supporting

Also known as Waller, Edward, Teddy, Master Edward Waller, old Waller, Comrade Waller

First appearance: First Steps in a Business Career

As a supporting figure in Psmith in the City, Mr. Waller is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Socialist discovered by Psmith, hosts Clapham Common meeting.

In the storyPsmith in the CityOpen this moment free

See Mr. Waller in Psmith in the City Book page

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Mr. Waller is the genial host whose dinner party dissolves into a family row over Women's Suffrage, and the cashier whose years of habit keep him shovelling money to customers while his mind sits at a sick child's bedside. When his son Edward battles pneumonia, he comes to work fagged and beaten, and Mike's silent understanding of his suffering marks the novel's first real note of pathos. His recovery, and Edward's, restores the warmth that the bank's grind had nearly extinguished.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Mr. Waller sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mr. Waller in First Steps in a Business Career

Character Web

18 connections

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

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Bank employees and family
Extended office staff and acquaintances
Protagonist
Minor characters and cricketers

+13 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

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Psmith, having…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Mike Jackson
professional · positive
Mike works under Mr. How this plays out →
Psmith
professional · ambivalent
Psmith
professional · ambivalent
Mike Jackson
professional · positive
Mike works under Mr. How this plays out →
Mike Jackson
professional · positive
Mike works under Mr. How this plays out →
Psmith
professional · ambivalent

Mike Jackson
Mike works under Mr. Waller at the bank, with Waller acting as a kindly but somewhat ineffectual supervisor.
Psmith
Psmith and Waller are colleagues at the bank, with Psmith often manipulating Waller's good nature.
Psmith
Psmith and Waller are colleagues at the bank, with Psmith often manipulating Waller's good nature.
Mike Jackson
Mike works under Mr. Waller at the bank, with Waller acting as a kindly but somewhat ineffectual supervisor.
Mike Jackson
Mike works under Mr. Waller at the bank, with Waller acting as a kindly but somewhat ineffectual supervisor.
Psmith
Psmith and Waller are colleagues at the bank, with Psmith often manipulating Waller's good nature.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Mr. Waller in First Steps in a Business Career

In the story

Mr. Waller appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Psmith in the City
Socialist discovered by Psmith, hosts Clapham Common meeting.
First Steps in a Business Career
A benevolent, White Knight-like figure who kindly directs Mike to the manager's office.
The Other Man
The cashier befriends Mike, taking him to lunch and sharing his thoughts on Mr. Bickersdyke's character and career.
In a Nutshell
Mentioned as having been summoned and criticized by Bickersdyke earlier that morning.
Mr. Waller Appears in a New Light
The cashier, tolerant of Psmith's visits, reveals his secret Socialism and invites Psmith and Mike to his Sunday open-air speech.
Stirring Times on the Common
Speaks passionately at the meeting; his temperance remarks anger the crowd, leading to hostility.
Sunday Supper
Hosts the supper; is proud of his son Edward and tries to smooth over the awkwardness caused by the lovers' quarrel.
Psmith Makes a Discovery
Mr. Waller hosts the evening, lends Psmith the Tulse Hill Parliament record, and remains oblivious to Psmith's ulterior motives.
XIX: The Illness of Edward
Mr. Waller is unusually silent and absent-minded due to his son Edward's illness with pneumonia; he looks tired and beaten.
Concerning a Cheque
Distraught after cashing a forged cheque due to worry over his son Edward's illness; later relieved as Edward recovers.
And Takes Steps
Mr. Waller is relieved not to be dismissed but is shaken by the reprimand and seeks information from Psmith about Mike's fate.
The Spirit of Unrest
Reported by Psmith to be inconsolable after Mike's transfer out of his department.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Waller unlock in the free preview.

See Mr. Waller in First Steps in a Business Career

See Mr. Waller in Psmith in the City