Appearance vs. Reality

Where it surfaces

• The Lodger

  Mr. Sleuth appears to be a quiet, respectable lodger, but his true nature and activities are hidden beneath this facade.

• I

  The Buntings' clean, well-furnished room and respectable appearance conceal their desperate poverty and hunger.

• The Arrival of the Lodger

  The stranger appears as a gentleman but behaves oddly; the top-floor rooms look bare and mean to Mrs. Bunting but delight Mr. Sleuth, hinting at hidden purposes.

• Chapter III

  Mr. Sleuth's request to turn pictures to the wall and his reading of scripture contrast with his unsettling behavior.

• IV

  Mr. Sleuth appears to be a respectable gentleman but his peculiar habits and missing bag hint at a hidden reality.

• V

  Mr. Sleuth appears as a quiet, eccentric lodger, but his nocturnal habits and Bible obsession hint at a darker reality; Mrs. Bunting's comfortable routine masks growing suspicion.

• VII

  Mr. Sleuth's claim of being unwell contrasts with the suspicion that he may be the Avenger; Mrs. Bunting hides her inner turmoil behind a composed exterior.

• The Black Museum

  The death masks appear 'foolish' rather than terrified, and the shabby exhibits belie their sinister role in convicting murderers, contrasting surface with truth.

• Chapter X

  Mrs. Bunting outwardly maintains a calm demeanor while inwardly tormented by suspicion and dread; the red ink is mistaken for blood, highlighting the tension between surface and truth.

• Chapter XI

  The newspaper theory explicitly compares the Avenger to Jekyll and Hyde, suggesting a quiet, pleasant-looking gentleman who is secretly a murderer. Mrs. Bunting's own life with Mr. Sleuth embodies this theme.

• XV

  The lodger appears to be a perfect tenant, but his nighttime activities and the acrid smell suggest a sinister reality.

• XVII

  Mrs. Bunting's cleaning frenzy and claim of illness mask her true purpose of attending the inquest, illustrating the gap between her public actions and private intentions.

• XIX

  Witnesses give conflicting descriptions of The Avenger, highlighting the gap between perception and truth.

• XXI

  Mr. Sleuth's claim of brushing against a dead animal contrasts with the blood on Bunting's hand, revealing a darker truth.

• XXII

  Mr. Sleuth's gentle demeanor and poetic quotation contrast sharply with the violent reality of the Avenger murders.

• XXV

  Mr. Sleuth's gentle demeanor and polite invitation contrast sharply with the Buntings' horrific suspicions, underscoring the theme of deceptive appearances.

• XXVI

  Mr. Sleuth feigns illness to escape, while Mrs. Bunting hides her terror; the wax figures themselves symbolize the blurring of life and death.