# the servant — The Theory of the Leisure Class character guide

> the servant in The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** The servant

**First appearance:** 0001-the-theory-of-the-leisure-class

## Who they are

An individual domestic worker within the leisure class household.

## Relationships

### [the priest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/characters/the_priest)

_social_

The priest and the servant have a distant, formal acquaintance shaped by religious or moral oversight.

### [servants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/characters/servants)

_professional_

Servants among themselves share a collegial but competitive work relationship within the household hierarchy.

### [the master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/characters/the_master)

_professional_

The master commands the servant directly, with the dynamic defined by authority and service.

## In the story

### [III: Conspicuous Leisure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/chapters/iii-conspicuous-leisure)

The servant's role is to perform duties in a conspicuously trained manner, evidencing a long history of vicarious leisure and the master's ability to pay for specialized service.

### [Conspicuous Consumption](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/chapters/iv-conspicuous-consumption)

The servant class is divided into free and servile, noble and ignoble; their services and liveries reflect the master's status.

### [V: The Pecuniary Standard of Living](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/chapters/v-the-pecuniary-standard-of-living)

The servant is mentioned in the context of vicarious leisure, performing menial tasks that allow the master to engage in conspicuous leisure.

### [X: Modern Survivals of Prowess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/chapters/x-modern-survivals-of-prowess)

The lower-class delinquents are mentioned as sharing the predatory temperament with the leisure class, but the servant class broadly is part of the industrial classes with less bellicose disposition.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/characters/the_servant
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_the_leisure_class_se/characters