# Comrade Ossipon — The Secret Agent character guide

> Comrade Ossipon in The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ossipon, the robust Ossipon, the big Ossipon, Alexander Ossipon, Comrade Alexander Ossipon

**First appearance:** 0003-i

## Snapshot

A muscular anarchist who lectures on science, flirts with every woman in the movement, and lives off the nerves of others.

## Who they are

Ossipon talks revolution in pubs and meeting rooms while quietly pocketing money from women he charms and abandons, his physique impressive and his moral substance thin. He is both drawn to and intimidated by the cold little bomb-maker who barely acknowledges him, and his vanity makes him a poor judge of the people he thinks he is manipulating. His pursuit of Mrs. Verloc, and his terror of being implicated in what her husband has done, make him the novel's most queasily human conduit between the drawing room and the police.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Verloc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mr_verloc)

_professional_

Ossipon interacts frequently with Verloc as a fellow anarchist and co-conspirator, though with underlying suspicion and manipulation.

### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mother)

_social_

Ossipon interacts with Verloc's mother as a household acquaintance, showing little genuine interest.

### [Chief Inspector Heat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/chief_inspector_heat)

_rivalry_

Heat suspects Ossipon of anarchist involvement and monitors him as a potential threat.

### [Michaelis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/michaelis)

_professional_

Ossipon and Michaelis are fellow anarchists who interact warily, each with their own agenda.

### [Mr. Verloc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mr_verloc)

_professional_

Ossipon interacts frequently with Verloc as a fellow anarchist and co-conspirator, though with underlying suspicion and manipulation.

### [Mr. Verloc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mr_verloc)

_professional_

Ossipon interacts frequently with Verloc as a fellow anarchist and co-conspirator, though with underlying suspicion and manipulation.

### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mother)

_social_

Ossipon interacts with Verloc's mother as a household acquaintance, showing little genuine interest.

### [Chief Inspector Heat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/chief_inspector_heat)

_rivalry_

Heat suspects Ossipon of anarchist involvement and monitors him as a potential threat.

### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/mother)

_social_

Ossipon interacts with Verloc's mother as a household acquaintance, showing little genuine interest.

### [Michaelis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/michaelis)

_professional_

Ossipon and Michaelis are fellow anarchists who interact warily, each with their own agenda.

## In the story

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/chapters/iii)

Mrs. Verloc feels uneasy in his presence; he brings F.P. tracts to sell.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/chapters/iv)

Engages in a tense debate with the Professor about anarchist tactics and is shocked to learn Verloc was the recipient of the bomb.

### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/chapters/ix)

Briefly mentioned; Mrs. Verloc says nothing about him.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/chapters/xii)

Encountering Winnie on the street, he is initially opportunistic but becomes horrified upon discovering Verloc's corpse. He is trapped by her desperate need and his own fear of the police.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/chapters/xiii)

Haunted by Winnie's suicide, he avoids women and feels his revolutionary career is ruined.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters/comrade_ossipon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_agent_se/characters