# Surveillant — The Enormous Room character guide

> Surveillant in The Enormous Room by E. E. Cummings.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Surveillant, The Surveillant, Monsieur le Surveillant, monsieur le Surveillant, M. le Surveillant

**First appearance:** 0004-iii-a-pilgrim-s-progress

## Snapshot

The camp overseer beneath the Directeur, a watchful official whom the narrator singles out as the most decent man in the whole miserable administration.

## Who they are

Surveillant occupies the middle rung of La Ferté's hierarchy — subordinate to the Directeur, superior to the plantons — and exercises his power with a leniency that surprises the narrator. He is not cruel, not without pity, and this modest decency in a system built on degradation becomes its own kind of moral event. His presence complicates the book's portrait of authority, insisting that even inside the machine, a man can choose to be kind.

## In the story

### [V: A Group of Portraits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/v-a-group-of-portraits)

Claims prisoners are not prisoners and are lucky, a statement the narrator disputes.

### [VI: Apollyon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/vi-apollyon)

Described as the most decent official at La Ferté, kind to the narrator and generally lenient, though still a tool of the Devil.

### [XI: Jean le Nègre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/xi-jean-le-n-gre)

Oversees Jean's punishment, attempts to placate him after the fight, and orders him to the cabinot.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/surveillant
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters