# Manuel — The Bridge of San Luis Rey character guide

> Manuel in The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Manuel B.

**First appearance:** 0001-the-bridge-of-san-luis-rey

## Snapshot

A quiet letter-writer whose sudden passion for the Perichole splits the twin bond that has defined his life.

## Who they are

Manuel reads little and has never been shaped by literary romance, yet the Perichole's beauty, wealth, and unattainability ignite in him a tender, helpless excitement he cannot reason away. Summoned to her room to write a secret letter, he stands sombre and wordless while she improvises blandishments, promising secrecy by the Virgin and the heart of Saint — a vow that binds him deeper than he knows. His divided loyalty to Esteban and to his impossible desire drives the novel's central meditation on unequal love.

## Relationships

### [Esteban](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/esteban)

_family_

Esteban and Manuel are identical twin brothers bound by an intense, almost telepathic love that becomes destructive after Manuel's injury.

### [Camila Perichole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/camila_perichole)

_romantic_

Camila has a brief, passionate affair with Manuel, unaware that his love for her is rivaled by his devotion to his twin brother Esteban.

### [Esteban](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/esteban)

_family_

Esteban and Manuel are identical twin brothers bound by an intense, almost telepathic love that becomes destructive after Manuel's injury.

### [Esteban](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/esteban)

_family_

Esteban and Manuel are identical twin brothers bound by an intense, almost telepathic love that becomes destructive after Manuel's injury.

### [Camila Perichole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/camila_perichole)

_romantic_

Camila has a brief, passionate affair with Manuel, unaware that his love for her is rivaled by his devotion to his twin brother Esteban.

### [Camila Perichole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/camila_perichole)

_romantic_

Camila has a brief, passionate affair with Manuel, unaware that his love for her is rivaled by his devotion to his twin brother Esteban.

## In the story

### [Part Three: Esteban](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/chapters/part-three-esteban)

The other twin; falls in love with the Perichole but ultimately sacrifices this attachment to preserve his bond with Esteban.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters/manuel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bridge_of_san_luis_rey_se/characters