# Dr. Allen — The Case of Charles Dexter Ward character guide

> Dr. Allen in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Allen, the bearded and spectacled Dr. Allen, the absent Dr. Allen

**First appearance:** 0004-iii-a-search-and-an-evocation

## Snapshot

A bearded, spectacled stranger posing as a physician, whose spectral bass voice and convenient absences mark him as far more than Charles's hired accomplice.

## Who they are

Dr. Allen appears in Charles Ward's life as a medical man of vague credentials, present at the bungalow, consulted by telephone, and never quite where he is expected to be. His voice unsettles those who hear it, and his comings and goings track the worst turns of Charles's decline. He is the human face of whatever has attached itself to the young antiquarian, and the question of what he actually is drives the middle chapters.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Ward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/mrs_ward)

_professional_

Dr. Allen is a mysterious physician hired by the Wards to care for Charles, but he is actually an ally of the resurrected Curwen.

### [Charles Dexter Ward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/charles_dexter_ward)

_professional_

Dr. Allen serves as a caretaker and accomplice to the Curwen-possessed Charles, aiding in his occult experiments.

### [Joseph Curwen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/joseph_curwen)

_professional_

Dr. Allen is a loyal servant and assistant to the resurrected Joseph Curwen, helping him maintain his disguise as Charles.

### [Joseph Curwen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/joseph_curwen)

_professional_

Dr. Allen is a loyal servant and assistant to the resurrected Joseph Curwen, helping him maintain his disguise as Charles.

### [Mrs. Ward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/mrs_ward)

_professional_

Dr. Allen is a mysterious physician hired by the Wards to care for Charles, but he is actually an ally of the resurrected Curwen.

## In the story

### [The Case of Charles Dexter Ward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/chapters/the-case-of-charles-dexter-ward)

A bearded and spectacled man who assists Charles in his later experiments and is associated with the sinister events at the Pawtuxet bungalow.

### [IV: A Mutation and a Madness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/chapters/iv-a-mutation-and-a-madness)

A thin, scholarly stranger with dark glasses and a dyed beard who shares Ward's mysteries at the bungalow; feared by neighbors.

### [V: A Nightmare and a Cataclysm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/chapters/v-a-nightmare-and-a-cataclysm)

A mysterious figure linked to Curwen; his photograph matches an altered image of Curwen's portrait, and he is suspected of being a supernatural entity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters/dr_allen
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_case_of_charles_dexter_ward_se/characters