# Sidney Lessingham — The Big Time character guide > Sidney Lessingham in The Big Time by Fritz Leiber. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sid, Sidney, V Sid **First appearance:** 0000-i-enter-three-hussars ## Snapshot A born Elizabethan producer and host, Sid turns introductions into performances and keeps the Place's volatile company talking when it might otherwise come to blows. ## Who they are He claims to have known Shakespeare, survived four monarchs, and worked as clerk, spy, bawd, and tract-peddler, and he uses every role to manage the room. His easy authority steadies the centrist party of two he forms with the narrator, even as his theatrical patter cannot hide how badly everyone is standing Introversion. Sid matters because his hospitality and showmanship make the sealed Place feel like a society, however frayed, rather than merely a trap. ## Relationships ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ Sidney is a powerful employer and mentor to the narrator, wielding authority and influence over their work and fate. ### [Bruce Marchant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/bruce_marchant) _professional_ Bruce and Sidney have a tense professional relationship, with Bruce often challenging Sidney's authority and decisions. ### [Beau Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/beau_lassiter) _professional_ Beau and Sidney have a respectful but distant professional dynamic, with Beau often deferring to Sidney's leadership. ### [Erich von Hohenwald](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/erich_von_hohenwald) _rivalry_ Erich and Sidney are bitter rivals, clashing over control and ideology within their shared environment. ### [Kaby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/kaby) _professional_ Kaby serves as a loyal and efficient assistant to Sidney, handling administrative tasks with quiet competence. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ Sidney is a powerful employer and mentor to the narrator, wielding authority and influence over their work and fate. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _professional_ Sidney is a powerful employer and mentor to the narrator, wielding authority and influence over their work and fate. ### [Bruce Marchant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/bruce_marchant) _professional_ Bruce and Sidney have a tense professional relationship, with Bruce often challenging Sidney's authority and decisions. ### [Beau Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/beau_lassiter) _professional_ Beau and Sidney have a respectful but distant professional dynamic, with Beau often deferring to Sidney's leadership. ### [Erich von Hohenwald](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/erich_von_hohenwald) _rivalry_ Erich and Sidney are bitter rivals, clashing over control and ideology within their shared environment. ### [Erich von Hohenwald](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/erich_von_hohenwald) _rivalry_ Erich and Sidney are bitter rivals, clashing over control and ideology within their shared environment. ### [Beau Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/beau_lassiter) _professional_ Beau and Sidney have a respectful but distant professional dynamic, with Beau often deferring to Sidney's leadership. ## In the story ### [I: Enter Three Hussars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/i-enter-three-hussars) Boss of the Recuperation Station, tunes the Maintainers for the Soldiers' arrival. ### [II: A Right-Hand Glove](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/ii-a-right-hand-glove) Whispers to the narrator about Bruce's fiery speech and suggests using the New Girl to calm him, showing his manipulative and theatrical nature. ### [III: Nine for a Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/iii-nine-for-a-party) Sid is jovial, talks to Erich, and asks about Ghostgirls. He is referred to as an 'old goat' by the narrator. ### [IV: SOS from Nowhere](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/iv-sos-from-nowhere) Sid receives the SOS, operates the Maintainer, and comforts Kaby. ### [V: Sid Insists on Ghostgirls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/v-sid-insists-on-ghostgirls) Sid insists on pairing soldiers with companions, enforcing rest and recuperation at the station. ### [VI: Crete Circa 1300 BC](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/vi-crete-circa-1300-bc) Reacts with fury to Kaby's report, rejecting the idea of being used for operations and questioning the bomb and instructions. ### [VII: Time to Think](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/vii-time-to-think) Grateful for Bruce's leadership, hopes to delay the decision about the bomb, and is shaken by the events. ### [VIII: A Place to Stand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/viii-a-place-to-stand) Mentioned briefly as clearing his throat, which Greta senses as a turning point in the mood against Bruce. ### [IX: A Locked Room](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/ix-a-locked-room) Sid assists Greta in the search, discusses the Maintainer's loss, and provides emotional support. ### [X: Motives and Opportunities](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/x-motives-and-opportunities) Sid speaks in Elizabethan English, mentions the blue telltale for Introversion, and comforts the narrator with talk of the Change Death. ### [XI: The Western Front, 1917](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/xi-the-western-front-1917) Comforts the narrator by holding her hands during Lili's intense story. ### [XII: A Big Opportunity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/xii-a-big-opportunity) Entranced by Lili's words; walks hand-in-hand with Greta to the control divan. ### [XV: Lord Spider](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/xv-lord-spider) Deceives everyone by impersonating a Lord Spider, then seizes the Minor Maintainer and threatens to destroy the Place. ### [XVI: The Possibility-Binders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/xvi-the-possibility-binders) Settles all outstanding problems high-handedly using the Minor Maintainer; goes to the control divan to tune in Egypt. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/sidney_lessingham - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters