# Mr. Lindon — The Beetle character guide

> Mr. Lindon in The Beetle by Richard Marsh.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lindon, Old Lindon, old Lindon, Papa, papa

**First appearance:** 0000-book-i-the-house-with-the-open-window

## Snapshot

Marjorie's gout-ridden, blustering father, obsessed with the Lindon name and determined to keep Paul Lessingham away from his daughter.

## Who they are

Mr. Lindon is a wealthy, short-tempered patriarch who worships Lord Cantilever, detests Lessingham's politics, and forbids Marjorie to speak to the man she loves. His rages are comic and exhausting, full of repeated commands and self-important references to the greatness of the Lindons, but they also reveal a father who cannot see past his own side of any question. His opposition raises the social stakes of Marjorie's choice and makes her defiance a matter of principle as much as passion.

## Relationships

### [Paul Lessingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/paul_lessingham)

_social_

Mr. Lindon is the father of Marjorie and approves of Paul Lessingham as her fiancé, maintaining a cordial but formal relationship.

### [Marjorie Lindon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/marjorie_lindon)

_family_

Marjorie Lindon is the daughter of Mr. Lindon, and they share a protective, affectionate father-daughter bond.

### [The Beetle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/the_beetle)

_psychological_

Mr. Lindon is horrified and manipulated by the Beetle, who invades his home and threatens his family.

### [Sydney Atherton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/sydney_atherton)

_social_

Mr. Lindon knows Sydney Atherton as a family friend and rival suitor to his daughter, maintaining polite but wary relations.

### [The Beetle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/the_beetle)

_psychological_

Mr. Lindon is horrified and manipulated by the Beetle, who invades his home and threatens his family.

### [Paul Lessingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/paul_lessingham)

_social_

Mr. Lindon is the father of Marjorie and approves of Paul Lessingham as her fiancé, maintaining a cordial but formal relationship.

### [Marjorie Lindon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/marjorie_lindon)

_family_

Marjorie Lindon is the daughter of Mr. Lindon, and they share a protective, affectionate father-daughter bond.

### [Marjorie Lindon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/marjorie_lindon)

_family_

Marjorie Lindon is the daughter of Mr. Lindon, and they share a protective, affectionate father-daughter bond.

### [Paul Lessingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/paul_lessingham)

_social_

Mr. Lindon is the father of Marjorie and approves of Paul Lessingham as her fiancé, maintaining a cordial but formal relationship.

### [Sydney Atherton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/sydney_atherton)

_social_

Mr. Lindon knows Sydney Atherton as a family friend and rival suitor to his daughter, maintaining polite but wary relations.

### [The Beetle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/the_beetle)

_psychological_

Mr. Lindon is horrified and manipulated by the Beetle, who invades his home and threatens his family.

### [Sydney Atherton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/sydney_atherton)

_social_

Mr. Lindon knows Sydney Atherton as a family friend and rival suitor to his daughter, maintaining polite but wary relations.

## In the story

### [XV: Mr. Lessingham Speaks](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xv-mr-lessingham-speaks)

Expresses anger and disapproval upon seeing Marjorie with Lessingham, calling Lessingham a 'confounded adventurer' and threatening to confront him.

### [XIX: The Lady Rages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xix-the-lady-rages)

Arrives in a cab just as Dora leaves, signaling a new development.

### [A Heavy Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xx-a-heavy-father)

Visits Atherton in a state of high excitement, perspiring and ranting about Lessingham. He hides behind a screen when Marjorie arrives.

### [The Terror in the Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxi-the-terror-in-the-night)

Revealed to have been hiding behind a screen, eavesdropping on Marjorie and Atherton's conversation.

### [The Haunted Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxii-the-haunted-man)

Mentioned as having given Lessingham the cut discourteous on the steps.

### [XXIII: The Way He Told Her](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxiii-the-way-he-told-her)

Marjorie's father, a Tory who disapproves of Paul Lessingham's politics and of women speaking in public.

### [XXIV: A Woman’s View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxiv-a-woman-s-view)

Marjorie's father; hostile to Paul Lessingham, prone to explosive temper, and suspicious of their relationship.

### [XXV: The Man in the Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxv-the-man-in-the-street)

Marjorie's father; he is late for breakfast and believes he has gout, unaware of the incident.

### [A Father’s No](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxvi-a-father-s-no)

Marjorie's father; forbids her from seeing Paul Lessingham and loses his temper violently.

### [XXVIII: The Strange Story of the Man in the Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxviii-the-strange-story-of-the-man-in-the-street)

Marjorie's father; he was hidden behind a screen listening to her story to Sydney, which causes Marjorie to feel betrayed.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters/mr_lindon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/characters