# Marlow — Short Fiction character guide

> Marlow in Short Fiction by R. A. Lafferty.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0000-the-six-fingers-of-time

## Snapshot

A marshal awakened by a four-inch tyrant demanding a stolen tax list, and forced to negotiate with a tiny power that claims written title to the world.

## Who they are

Marshal Marlow is a local lawman whose night is interrupted by an acid-voiced, four-inch man on his bedside table, demanding the return of a stolen tax list. Paralyzed from the neck down and insulted as a clod, he nonetheless trades barbs with his captor, learning that the little people believe they own the world—bought from a con man. His dry, unimpressed defiance sets the tone for a story where the smallest creatures hold the largest claims.

## Relationships

### [Mitzi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/characters/mitzi)

_romantic_

Marlow and Mitzi are lovers entangled in a volatile relationship, alternating between passionate affection and destructive arguments.

### [Mitzi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/characters/mitzi)

_romantic_

Marlow and Mitzi are lovers entangled in a volatile relationship, alternating between passionate affection and destructive arguments.

### [Mitzi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/characters/mitzi)

_romantic_

Marlow and Mitzi are lovers entangled in a volatile relationship, alternating between passionate affection and destructive arguments.

## In the story

### [The Polite People of Pudibundia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/chapters/the-polite-people-of-pudibundia)

A homicide captain investigating the disappearance of pilots who visited Pudibundia; he experiences the Puds' extreme politeness firsthand.

### [The Weirdest World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/chapters/the-weirdest-world)

Learns about the Polite People of Pudibundia, adding to the chapter's theme of inexplicable social norms.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/characters/marlow
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_45_se/characters