# Hans — The Castle character guide

> Hans in The Castle by Franz Kafka.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Hans

**First appearance:** 0006-v

## Snapshot

Brunswick's schoolboy son, who attaches himself to K. with earnest admiration and a plan to bring his mother over to the Land Surveyor's side.

## Who they are

Hans is a serious, well-mannered pupil at the school where K. serves as janitor, and he treats K. with a respect the rest of the village withholds. He wants to help — he offers to talk to his mother, who he believes could influence the Castle on K.'s behalf — and his loyalty is both touching and faintly absurd given how little K. can actually deliver. Through Hans, K. glimpses the Brunswick household from the inside, and the family's ruin acquires a child's face.

## In the story

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_se/chapters/xiii)

Mentioned in the context of K.'s conversation with him, which Frieda interprets as K. fighting for Hans's mother as if for his life.

### [Additional Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_se/chapters/additional-note)

A passage from the scene between K. and Hans was omitted by Brod as unimportant for the succeeding narrative.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_se/characters/hans
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_se/characters