# Mr. Daley — Short Fiction character guide

> Mr. Daley in Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Daley, O Mr. Daley

**First appearance:** 0000-my-roomy

## Snapshot

A manager whose name travels faster than his manners, Daley is the kind of boss whose attention lands like a spotlight and lingers like a debt.

## Who they are

Daley moves through the margins of these stories as an employer or manager whose presence shapes the room without ever quite occupying it. He is the figure whose approval or neglect sets the terms of other people's days, and the tension he generates comes from the gap between the authority he holds and the smallness of how he wields it. In the early arc, he matters because the people around him are always, in some way, working for him or working around him.

## Relationships

### [Kate Hayes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/kate_hayes)

_professional_

Kate Hayes and Mr. Daley have a work relationship, possibly employer-employee or colleague.

### [Kate Hayes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/kate_hayes)

_professional_

Kate Hayes and Mr. Daley have a work relationship, possibly employer-employee or colleague.

### [Kate Hayes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/kate_hayes)

_professional_

Kate Hayes and Mr. Daley have a work relationship, possibly employer-employee or colleague.

## In the story

### [IV: Only One](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/iv-only-one)

Daley spends time with the group, shares racing tips, and proposes to Kate.

### [V: Katie Wins a Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/v-katie-wins-a-home)

Mentioned as part of the past conflict that led them to leave Long Island.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/mr_daley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters