# Richard Caramel — The Beautiful and Damned character guide > Richard Caramel in The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Caramel, Richard, a Caramel, Mr. Richard Caramel, Mistah Caramel, Dick Caramel, the Caramel, little Dick, Dick **First appearance:** 0004-i-anthony-patch ## Snapshot A novelist who fled settlement work and newspaper reporting for art, Richard Caramel turns his friends into fiction and his ambition into a public performance. ## Who they are Dick Caramel abandons the Alien Young Men's Rescue Association and a Sun reporting job after filing a column about a parade that snow postponed, then throws himself into writing The Demon Lover. He pours his hopes and indecisions into anyone who will listen, from Anthony and Maury to a Harlem subway ticket-collector, and sits by the hour with Mrs. Gilbert trading Bilphism for literature. His book, drawn from the circle around him, makes him the group's uneasy mirror of what ambition looks like when it succeeds. ## Relationships ### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Anthony's friend and a struggling writer, whose literary success contrasts with Anthony's decline. ### [Gloria Gilbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/gloria_gilbert) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Gloria's friend and cousin of her friend Maury, often present in their social gatherings. ### [Old Halloran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/old_halloran) _social_ Old Halloran interacts with Richard Caramel as a visitor to the Patch household and through his connection to Anthony. ### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Anthony's friend and a struggling writer, whose literary success contrasts with Anthony's decline. ### [Old Halloran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/old_halloran) _social_ Old Halloran interacts with Richard Caramel as a visitor to the Patch household and through his connection to Anthony. ### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Anthony's friend and a struggling writer, whose literary success contrasts with Anthony's decline. ### [Gloria Gilbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/gloria_gilbert) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Gloria's friend and cousin of her friend Maury, often present in their social gatherings. ### [Gloria Gilbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/gloria_gilbert) _friendship_ Richard Caramel is Gloria's friend and cousin of her friend Maury, often present in their social gatherings. ## In the story ### [The Beautiful and Damned](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/the-beautiful-and-damned) A writer and friend of Anthony and Maury. He is earnest and ambitious about his literary career, contrasting with Anthony's aimlessness. ### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/book-i) A writer and friend of Anthony, often involved in the group's social activities and conversations. ### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/i-anthony-patch) Another friend of Anthony's, a writer who discusses his plans for novels and plays. ### [II: Portrait of a Siren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/ii-portrait-of-a-siren) Facilitates the meeting between Anthony and Gloria; present at the tea and the Gilbert home. ### [III: The Connoisseur of Kisses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/iii-the-connoisseur-of-kisses) Present during Mrs. Gilbert's confidences about Gloria's romantic history. ### [Book II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/book-ii) Continues to be part of their social circle, now a successful author. ### [The Radiant Hour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/i-the-radiant-hour) Visits for a literary weekend; discusses his early success and fears of writing becoming trivial; expresses doubts about the worth of his work. ### [II: Symposium](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/ii-symposium) Mentioned as having sold his book to the movies but receiving little credit; he visits Anthony and Gloria and encourages them to keep the gray house. ### [The Broken Lute](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/iii-the-broken-lute) Discussed as having declined in literary quality, now writing sensational stories for money. ### [III: No Matter!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/iii-no-matter) Mentioned as a successful writer; Anthony feels contempt for him but envies his success. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/richard_caramel - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters