# Gus Hamilton — Short Fiction character guide

> Gus Hamilton in Short Fiction by Clifford D. Simak.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Old Gus Hamilton, Hamilton

**First appearance:** 0000-hellhounds-of-the-cosmos

## Snapshot

A grizzled veteran of the Asteroids holding court at a corner table in the Silver Moon, Gus Hamilton is the kind of old spacehand whose talk can make or unmake a newcomer's dreams.

## Who they are

Gus Hamilton belongs to the smoky, many-tongued world of the Silver Moon, where prospectors, gamblers, and Martian dancing girls trade rumors over Venusian leaf. He is the sort of weathered veteran a timid newcomer like Oliver Meek might approach for counsel, and his easy authority in that room makes him a natural gatekeeper between earthbound dreamers and the void they long for. Whether he encourages or deflates Meek's thirty-year obsession, his presence sets the tone for what the frontier really costs.

## Relationships

### [Oliver Meek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/oliver_meek)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Oliver Meek share a close bond, likely as allies or companions working together.

### [Moe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/moe)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Moe are companions, likely partners in crime or fellow travelers.

### [Moe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/moe)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Moe are companions, likely partners in crime or fellow travelers.

### [Oliver Meek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/oliver_meek)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Oliver Meek share a close bond, likely as allies or companions working together.

### [Moe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/moe)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Moe are companions, likely partners in crime or fellow travelers.

### [Oliver Meek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/oliver_meek)

_friendship_

Gus Hamilton and Oliver Meek share a close bond, likely as allies or companions working together.

## In the story

### [Mr. Meek Plays Polo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/mr-meek-plays-polo)

Lives on the Inner Ring, helps Meek recapture the bugs after the accident, and discusses the feud and the upcoming space polo game.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/i)

Mentioned as the owner of the asteroid with the 'educated bugs'; a sports enthusiast.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/ii)

Ring-rat from sector Twenty-Three, angry about his stolen injector, but intrigued by space polo.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/iii)

Determined to win the space polo trophy, complains about the Ring's changing manners, and helps collect bugs.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/iv)

Stricken with rheumatism, unable to play in the crucial space polo match.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/chapters/v)

Owner of the worn-out ship Meek uses; Meek fears Gus's reaction to the bug infestation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters/gus_hamilton
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_10_se/characters