# Complicity and Moral Ambiguity in The Lodger

> Theme guide for The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes.

Mrs. Bunting suspects the lodger is The Avenger but chooses to protect him out of financial need and a strange attachment, refusing to betray him to the police, highlighting the conflict between self-preservation, loyalty, and civic duty.

## Where it surfaces

- [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vi): Mrs. Bunting's internal denial and her relief that the police have no clues suggest her complicity in protecting the lodger, despite her suspicions.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vii): Mrs. Bunting's determination to serve the lodger herself, despite her fears, suggests a troubling complicity in protecting him.
- [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/x): Mrs. Bunting's search of the lodger's room and her concealment of the accident reveal her growing complicity in protecting a potential murderer, torn between duty and fear.
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xi): Mrs. Bunting's secret knowledge about Mr. Sleuth and her efforts to deflect suspicion (e.g., insisting the killer is a sailor from the Docks) place her in a morally ambiguous position.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xii): Mrs. Bunting feels self-loathing for hoping the Avenger has committed another murder, revealing her complicity in her thoughts.
- [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xiii): Mrs. Bunting is torn between her suspicion that Mr. Sleuth is The Avenger and her protective loyalty, deciding she would never betray him even if proof emerged.
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xv): Mrs. Bunting chooses not to wake her husband or confront the lodger, prioritizing the financial security he provides over her moral duty.
- [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvi): Mrs. Bunting's guilt over keeping her suspicion from her husband and her acceptance of the lodger's money highlight her moral compromise.
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvii): Mrs. Bunting's secret plan to attend the inquest, while pretending to see a doctor, shows her growing entanglement in the investigation and her moral conflict.
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xviii): Mrs. Bunting's secret attendance at the inquest, driven by suspicion of the lodger, places her in a morally ambiguous position as she deceives her husband and seeks information about the murderer.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xix): Mrs. Bunting feels remorse, hinting at her complicity in harboring the lodger.
- [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xx): Mrs. Bunting lies to her husband about the doctor and protects Mr. Sleuth's secrets, torn between pity and horror.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxi): Bunting lies to the lodger about what he felt, choosing to protect him rather than confront the evidence.
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxii): Mrs. Bunting's concealment of information and her conflicted feelings about the lodger's possible guilt reflect moral ambiguity.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiii): Mrs. Bunting's secret burden and her sharp defense of the lodger, combined with Bunting's silent dread, show how both are complicit in protecting the lodger despite mounting evidence.
- [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiv): Bunting grapples with his moral complicity as an 'accessory after the fact,' torn between duty and self-preservation.
- [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvi): Mrs. Bunting's silent complicity in protecting Mr. Sleuth despite knowing his guilt; Mr. Hopkins accepts a bribe to facilitate the escape.
- [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvii): The Buntings decide not to report the lodger's madness or his possible crimes, choosing to protect him and themselves.

## Links

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