# A Mad Officer — Short Fiction character guide

> A Mad Officer in Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction

## Who they are

An unstable military officer causing disruption.

## In the story

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/iii)

The bloodied, silent maniac who appears beside the narrator and sings to the bell.

### [The Red Laugh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/the-red-laugh)

The narrator, a wounded officer who experiences the red laugh and descends into madness.

### [Fragment I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/part-i-fragment-i)

The narrator, an officer, experiences madness and horror during the march.

### [Fragment XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/part-ii-fragment-xi)

A prisoner who walks calmly apart from the others, showing bare hatred and despair in his black eyes. He is silent, refuses to give his name, and has attempted suicide.

### [Fragment XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/part-ii-fragment-xvi)

A former schoolfellow of the narrator, invalided from the war and driven mad by a sudden silence after a bayonet charge. He is silent, listens constantly, and falls into epileptic fits during silence.

### [Chant the Second](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/chant-the-second)

A proud madman who praises the destruction as 'perfect order' and speaks benignly.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/iv)

The lunatic who plays a comedy among the ruins with the monk, speaking approvingly of 'perfect order'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/a_mad_officer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters