# Mr. Bunting — The Lodger character guide > Mr. Bunting in The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Bunting, XVI Bunting **First appearance:** 0001-the-lodger ## Snapshot A dapper former manservant, proud of his auction-bought furniture, who reads detective stories while his wife quietly carries the household's dread. ## Who they are Robert Bunting once kept a gentleman's wardrobe and now keeps a dwindling fire, his clean-shaven respectability a thin shield against the hunger and cold creeping into the Marylebone house. He reads the Avenger murders aloud with relish, sells his beloved armchair only when pressed, and remains largely blind to the fear tightening around his wife. His cheerful obliviousness is the counterweight to Mrs. Bunting's vigilance, and his fondness for a good crime story makes the real one unfolding under his roof all the more chilling. ## Relationships ### [Mrs. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mrs_bunting) _family_ Mr. Bunting is Mrs. Bunting's husband, and they have a quiet, somewhat distant marriage. ### [Mr. Sleuth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_sleuth) _social_ Mr. Bunting is the landlord of Mr. Sleuth, but they have minimal interaction and an uneasy acquaintance. ### [Joe Chandler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/joe_chandler) _social_ Joe Chandler is a frequent visitor to the Bunting home, maintaining a polite but distant relationship with Mr. Bunting. ### [Mr. Sleuth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_sleuth) _social_ Mr. Bunting is the landlord of Mr. Sleuth, but they have minimal interaction and an uneasy acquaintance. ### [Mrs. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mrs_bunting) _family_ Mr. Bunting is Mrs. Bunting's husband, and they have a quiet, somewhat distant marriage. ### [Joe Chandler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/joe_chandler) _social_ Joe Chandler is a frequent visitor to the Bunting home, maintaining a polite but distant relationship with Mr. Bunting. ## In the story ### [The Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/the-lodger) Mrs. Bunting's husband, who agrees to the plan of taking in a lodger. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/i) Leans back in a leather armchair, clean-shaven and dapper; he has pawned his dress clothes and gold watch-chain, and is trying to muster courage to write to his first wife's aunt for help. ### [The Arrival of the Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/ii) Absorbed in his newspaper, he remains in the sitting-room while Mrs. Bunting handles the caller; his cough startles the stranger. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iii) Goes out to buy supplies; comments on the lodger's odd appearance. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iv) Shows interest in the Avenger murders; returns half a sovereign to Joe Chandler; mentions Daisy's visit. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/v) Returns from work eager for news of the Avenger; criticizes Chandler for not asking about the shape of the paper; goes out to buy a newspaper. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vi) Receives a letter from Daisy announcing her visit; lays the cloth for dinner; argues with Mrs. Bunting about Daisy coming; helps carry the lodger's breakfast tray. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vii) Discusses the murders with his wife and tries to calm her, while also managing the household arrangements. ### [The Black Museum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/ix) Bunting is fascinated by the museum, especially the tools of Charles Peace and the discussion of the Avenger case, showing a troubled interest in criminal methods. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/x) Returns from the Black Museum visit, buys a penny evening paper, and complains about his eyes hurting from reading. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xi) Listens to Daisy's reading with his hand to his ear, showing signs of age; comments on the newspaper letters and the possibility that the Avenger is a gentleman. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xii) Initially supports Daisy but ultimately sides with Ellen on the importance of money. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xiii) Smokes his pipe, reads a book, and expresses surprise that Mr. Sleuth would go out in the fog, recalling Mrs. Crowley's fondness for London weather. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xiv) Relieved at the lodger's return, reads the evening paper, and expresses concern about the dangers of the fog and the Avenger. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xv) Eagerly reads about the Avenger's latest murder and shares the news with his wife, oblivious to her distress. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvi) Restless and excited about the nearby murder; goes out despite his wife's irritation; feels she is unreasonable about his curiosity. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvii) Notices his wife's changed behavior, cooks an omelette for her, and expresses concern about her health and mood. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xviii) Concerned about his wife's pallor and offers to accompany her; forgets his promise about the lodger. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xx) Anxiously waits for Mrs. Bunting; asks about the doctor; prepares to work as a waiter at a birthday party. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxi) Returns home from a job, encounters the lodger at night, touches his bloodied coat, and lies about it. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxii) Returns with Daisy, learns of the murder, and reflects on his earlier suspicions about the lodger. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiii) Grows quiet and cold, questions Joe about the murder location, buys a newspaper, and is alarmed by the rubber sole clue. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiv) Consumed by fear and moral conflict, Bunting debates whether to report his suspicions to the police, but dreads the social and financial ruin it would bring. He is relieved when Chandler's visit turns out to be about Daisy, not the lodger. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxv) Bunting is consumed by fear and suspicion, avoiding acquaintances and smoking excessively. His panic upon finding Daisy alone with the lodger reveals his deep dread. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvi) Not present in this chapter. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvii) Listens to his wife's revelation about the lodger; puts the chain on the door; later expresses worry about the lodger's welfare; accepts Daisy's engagement. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_bunting - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters