# Theodore Savage — Theodore Savage character guide > Theodore Savage in Theodore Savage by Cicely Hamilton. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Savage **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A London office man turned reluctant survivor, he shoulders the care of a clinging stranger as civilization collapses around them into hunger and suspicion. ## Who they are Theodore Savage begins as a subordinate clerk whose taste for porcelain and music earns him a dinner invitation into a more refined world. When war and famine strip that world bare, he becomes the de facto leader of an odd partnership, sharing scraps with a woman who follows him because she has nowhere else to go. His defining tension is the slow, grudging acceptance of responsibility he never chose, a burden that hardens him even as it keeps him human. ## Relationships ### [Ada Cartwright](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/ada_cartwright) _romantic_ Ada is Theodore's devoted lover and later wife, sharing a deep emotional bond that endures through hardship. ### [Phillida Rathbone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/phillida_rathbone) _romantic_ Phillida is a former romantic interest of Theodore, with lingering tension and unresolved feelings between them. ### [Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/markham) _rivalry_ Markham is a bitter antagonist to Theodore, often opposing him out of jealousy and personal vendetta. ### [Holt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/holt) _professional_ Holt interacts with Theodore in a formal, duty-bound capacity, often as a messenger or enforcer. ### [Cassidy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/cassidy) _friendship_ Cassidy is a loyal friend and companion to Theodore, offering support in difficult times. ### [Lucifer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/lucifer) _psychological_ Lucifer is a symbolic or literal figure who torments Theodore, representing his inner demons or external manipulation. ### [Vallance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/vallance) _rivalry_ Theodore and Vallance are adversaries, clashing over ideology or personal grievances. ### [Young Hewlett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/young_hewlett) _friendship_ Young Hewlett is a younger ally or protégé of Theodore, sharing a bond of mutual respect. ### [Hercules](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/hercules) _friendship_ Hercules is a loyal animal companion or friend to Theodore, providing comfort and protection. ### [Meyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/meyer) _rivalry_ Meyer is a minor antagonist to Theodore, opposing him in bureaucratic or personal matters. ### [Phillida Rathbone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/phillida_rathbone) _romantic_ Phillida is a former romantic interest of Theodore, with lingering tension and unresolved feelings between them. ### [Phillida Rathbone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/phillida_rathbone) _romantic_ Phillida is a former romantic interest of Theodore, with lingering tension and unresolved feelings between them. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/i) Introduced as a young civil servant with a comfortable life, amateur interests in art and antiques, and a budding acquaintance with Phillida Rathbone. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/ii) Theodore is present at the gathering, initially absorbed in his own thoughts but briefly shaken by Markham's predictions. He later reflects on his courtship with Phillida and finally proposes. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/iii) Celebrates his betrothal to Phillida, but is troubled by Rathbone's warning of war and separation. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/iv) Reflects on the chime and his childhood; separated from Phillida in the crowd; visits Markham and discusses war and science. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/v) Theodore recalls the night of the first air raids and his subsequent experiences with the refugee crisis in York, witnessing the breakdown of order. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/vi) Conscripted into special constabulary, becomes hardened to violence and misery, witnesses the destruction of York. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/vii) Theodore experiences the destruction of his camp and becomes a vagabond, struggling with starvation and fear as civilization ends. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/viii) Theodore listens to the dying writer's philosophical reflections, recalling his past life and feeling the loss of his ability to love. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/ix) Survives the winter in a dead town, participates in a grain-based community, flees after an attack, and is joined by a young woman. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/x) Theodore takes on the role of provider and protector for Ada, leading their survival efforts and establishing a hidden camp in a valley. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xi) Explores beyond the camp, discovers a dead village, and continues to provide for Ada. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xii) Struggles with sexual desire for Ada, haunted by memory of Phillida, and ultimately yields to primitive instincts. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xiii) Struggles with pity and irritation toward Ada; attempts to educate her but fails; resorts to force to assert authority. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xiv) Reflects on Ada's psychological change under his authority; feels a mix of pity, affection, and frustration; is shocked by Ada's pregnancy and grapples with fear and a sense of duty. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xv) Undertakes a journey of exploration to find other humans, driven by Ada's pregnancy. He is captured by a group of men. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xvi) Captured by a tribe, pleads for his life and for help for Ada and their child. ### [The Trial of Theodore Savage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xvii) Theodore is the prisoner on trial, questioned about his past and forced to confess his ignorance of science and engineering. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xviii) Theodore is the protagonist who is now accepted into the tribe but remains a prisoner in spirit. He grapples with the tribe's rejection of knowledge and secretly hopes for the return of civilization. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xix) Undergoes the formal acceptance ceremony, swears oaths of loyalty and renunciation of knowledge, and begins building a hut for himself and Ada. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xx) Returns to Ada, guides her to the tribe, explores the ruined town, and enforces the tribe's prohibitions. ### [The Birth of a New Generation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xxi) Becomes a father and is tied to the tribe; reflects on the birth of mythology and the cycle of history as his children grow. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xxii) Remarries a younger woman for practical reasons; reflects on his loss of civilized identity and adapts to tribal life; asserts property over Ada after her flirtation. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/chapters/xxiii) Aged patriarch living a dual life of primitive labor and vivid memories of the past; feared and revered as the last link to the lost civilization. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters/theodore_savage - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/theodore_savage_se/characters