# Appearance vs. Reality in The Lodger

> Theme guide for The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes.

The Buntings' respectable, comfortable home and their own 'pleasant cosy picture of married life' mask their desperate poverty and the lodger's murderous secret, illustrating how outward respectability can conceal inner decay and danger.

## Where it surfaces

- [The Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/the-lodger): Mr. Sleuth appears to be a quiet, respectable lodger, but his true nature and activities are hidden beneath this facade.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/i): The Buntings' clean, well-furnished room and respectable appearance conceal their desperate poverty and hunger.
- [The Arrival of the Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/ii): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iii): Mr. Sleuth's request to turn pictures to the wall and his reading of scripture contrast with his unsettling behavior.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iv): Mr. Sleuth appears to be a respectable gentleman but his peculiar habits and missing bag hint at a hidden reality.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/ix): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xv): The lodger appears to be a perfect tenant, but his nighttime activities and the acrid smell suggest a sinister reality.
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xix): Witnesses give conflicting descriptions of The Avenger, highlighting the gap between perception and truth.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxi): Mr. Sleuth's claim of brushing against a dead animal contrasts with the blood on Bunting's hand, revealing a darker truth.
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxii): Mr. Sleuth's gentle demeanor and poetic quotation contrast sharply with the violent reality of the Avenger murders.
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxv): Mr. Sleuth's gentle demeanor and polite invitation contrast sharply with the Buntings' horrific suspicions, underscoring the theme of deceptive appearances.
- [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvi): Mr. Sleuth feigns illness to escape, while Mrs. Bunting hides her terror; the wax figures themselves symbolize the blurring of life and death.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/themes/appearance_vs_reality
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/themes