# Arthur Lawford — The Return character guide > Arthur Lawford in The Return by Walter de la Mare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Lawford, Mr. Arthur Lawford, Mr. Lawford **First appearance:** 0001-the-return ## Snapshot A weary man who returns to his family after a long absence, only to find that even those closest to him cannot quite recognize who—or what—has come home. ## Who they are Lawford is a husband and father re-entering a household that has learned to function without him, and his homecoming is met less with joy than with cautious scrutiny. He is exhausted, secretive, and increasingly estranged from Sheila, who studies him with a calm that feels more like diagnosis than affection. His struggle to be believed—by his wife, his doctor, his old friend Bethany—drives the novel's central question of whether identity survives when everyone around you begins to doubt it. ## Relationships ### [Sheila](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/sheila) _romantic_ Arthur and Sheila share a deep, passionate romantic connection, often interacting with intense emotional closeness. ### [Mr. Bethany](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/mr_bethany) _professional_ Arthur and Mr. Bethany have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or colleagues in a business setting. ### [Herbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/herbert) _friendship_ Arthur and Herbert are close friends, frequently spending time together and supporting each other. ### [Grisel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/grisel) _family_ Arthur and Grisel are family members, possibly siblings or close relatives, with a warm and familiar bond. ### [Alicia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/alicia) _romantic_ Alicia and Arthur have a romantic relationship, marked by affection and emotional entanglement. ### [Nicholas Sabathier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/nicholas_sabathier) _rivalry_ Arthur and Nicholas are rivals, often in conflict over personal or professional matters. ### [Ada](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/ada) _friendship_ Ada and Arthur are friends, sharing a supportive and loyal companionship. ### [Dr. Simon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/dr_simon) _professional_ Arthur and Dr. Simon have a professional relationship, likely as patient and doctor or colleagues in a medical context. ### [Mr. Danton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/mr_danton) _professional_ Arthur and Mr. Danton are professional associates, possibly in business or legal matters. ### [Mrs. Lawford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/mrs_lawford) _family_ Arthur and Mrs. Lawford are family, likely mother and son, with a caring but sometimes strained relationship. ### [Mr. Critchett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/mr_critchett) _professional_ Arthur and Mr. Critchett have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or in a business capacity. ### [Sheila](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/sheila) _romantic_ Arthur and Sheila share a deep, passionate romantic connection, often interacting with intense emotional closeness. ## In the story ### [The Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/the-return) Returns home to find his face altered, struggles to prove his identity to Sheila. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/i) Wanders into Widderstone churchyard, experiences melancholy and a sense of unreality, discovers his face has changed upon returning home. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/ii) Shows his changed face to Sheila, pleads for belief, and struggles with isolation and despair. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/iii) Lawford recounts his memory of kneeling by a tombstone at Widderstone, falling asleep, and waking changed. He insists he was alone and expresses terror at losing his sanity. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/iv) Sits alone in his room, examines his changed face in the mirror, struggles with despair and thoughts of death, and finally lies down on the bed. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/v) Confined to bed, examined by Dr. Simon, and pleads with Sheila for genuine connection; his story is modified for the doctor. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/vi) Lawford struggles with his altered identity, mistakenly calls Miss Sinnet 'Miss Bennett,' and later escapes the house to wander the common. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/vii) Struggles with his changed face and influenza; plans to return to Widderstone; visits Alice at night; searches for Quain's book. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/viii) Experiences an internal struggle between his old self and a strange new consciousness; longs for freedom and the graveyard; defies Sheila's wishes to go out. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/ix) Returns to the graveyard, converses with a stranger about death and Sabathier, and arranges to meet again. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/x) Confronts Danton with bitter sarcasm, examines his changed face in the mirror, and resists Sheila's attempts to manage him. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xi) Wakes lethargic and haunted, questions Sheila about the previous night, struggles with his changed face and mind, longs for Alice, and ultimately flees after Alice faints. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xii) Confesses his fear of insanity to Herbert; learns his face resembles Sabathier; listens to Herbert's theories about possession and ghostly phenomena. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xiii) Experiences a profound emotional crisis, breaks down in front of Grisel, and later finds solace in Alice's presence before being locked in his room. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xiv) Confronted by Sheila about his late return and Widderstone visit; admits feeling 'possessed' and reflects on the end of their relationship; reads the Sabathier book and notes the facial resemblance. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xv) Lawford is in a severe state of psychological crisis, experiencing hallucinations, paranoia, and a sense of being pursued by a malevolent presence. He confesses his fears to Mr. Bethany but also displays a defiant, stubborn pride. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xvi) Wanders the streets, interacts with a barber and baker's wife, meets Grisel, and returns home to reflect on his transformation and solitude. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xvii) Lawford is the central figure, deeply weary and detached, struggling with his perceived transformation and the rationalizations offered by Herbert. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xviii) Engages in philosophical discussion with Herbert, then walks with Grisel; expresses anxiety about his changed face and sanity. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xix) Discovers the Sabathier material is gone, returns home feeling like a stranger, and leaves with Grisel after a crisis of conscience. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xx) Lawford is deeply troubled, experiencing vivid memories and visions, and fears being perceived as insane. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xxi) Confesses his transformation to Sabathier and his despair, struggles with the decision to leave Grisel. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xxii) Hides in the house, listening to the conversation; feels isolated and longs for the open air. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/chapters/xxiii) Sits alone in darkness, brooding on solitude and the meaning of life, then converses with Miss Sinnet about her strange encounter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/arthur_lawford - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters