# M. Firmin Richard — The Phantom of the Opera character guide

> M. Firmin Richard in The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Firmin Richard, Richard, M. Richard, Mr. Manager Richard

**First appearance:** 0004-iv-box-five

## Snapshot

The Opera's new co-manager, a man of explosive temper who treats the ghost's demands as insolent nonsense — until the house itself starts answering back.

## Who they are

Richard inherits the management with Moncharmin and immediately dismisses the ghost as a joke, manhandling Mme. Giry and sneering at the memorandum-book his predecessors left behind. His blunt, physical fury — grabbing, stamping, shouting — makes him a comic counterweight to the creeping dread around him, and his refusal to negotiate raises the stakes of every demand O. G. makes. When he and Moncharmin finally sit in Box Five to catch the phantom themselves, his skepticism becomes the story's fuse.

## In the story

### [The Mysterious Reason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/iii-the-mysterious-reason)

One of the new managers; initially skeptical of the ghost's existence, he listens to the retiring managers' warnings with a mix of seriousness and jest.

### [Box Five](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/iv-box-five)

Co-manager of the Opera; receives the Ghost's letter and dismisses it as a prank, but grows irritated as the situation escalates.

### [A Visit to Box Five](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/vi-a-visit-to-box-five)

One of the new managers; he sees a shape in Box Five that resembles an old woman like Mame Giry.

### [Faust and What Followed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/vii-faust-and-what-followed)

One of the managers; experiences the ghost's presence and hears the threat about the chandelier.

### [The Mysterious Brougham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/viii-the-mysterious-brougham)

One of the new managers; appears changed, worried, and evasive when Raoul asks about Christine's absence.

### [The Singular Attitude of a Safety-Pin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/xiv-the-singular-attitude-of-a-safety-pin)

One of the managers; behaves erratically, walking backward and refusing to be touched.

### [Mme. Giry’s Astounding Revelations as to Her Personal Relations with the Opera Ghost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/xvi-mme-giry-s-astounding-revelations-as-to-her-personal-relations-with-the-opera-ghost)

One of the new managers; devises a plan to catch the ghost by having Mme. Giry slip the envelope into his pocket, but is later accused of being involved in the theft.

### [XVII: The Safety-Pin Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/chapters/xvii-the-safety-pin-again)

One of the Opera managers; he is the target of the theft and becomes increasingly paranoid, suspecting Moncharmin of taking the money.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/characters/firmin_richard
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phantom_of_the_opera_se/characters