Obsession and Madness

Martin Joliffe's fixation on proving his lineage and the organist Sharnall's descent into alcoholism illustrate how obsession can lead to ruin, with the nebuly coat serving as a symbol of consuming delusion.

Martin Joliffe's lifelong quest to prove his Blandamer ancestry, which consumed his fortune and sanity, is a central focus of Sharnall's narrative.

Sharnall's growing secretiveness over Martin Joliffe's papers and Miss Euphemia's fear that the papers will 'bewitch' the gentlemen echo the theme of obsessive pursuit.

Sharnall's obsessive attachment to his composition and Westray's sudden, frantic journey to London suggest a theme of fixation and irrational response.

Westray's fixation on Sharnall's absence and the eerie atmosphere of the minter reflect the theme of obsession; Sharnall's earlier hallucinations about a man with a hammer hint at madness.