# Little Billee — Trilby character guide

> Little Billee in Trilby by George du Maurier.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Billee

**First appearance:** 0000-part-iv-part-v-little-billee

## Snapshot

A charming young painter whose genius and sweetness make him the heart of the Paris studio, until love and family pull him elsewhere.

## Who they are

Little Billee is the magnetic center of the bohemian circle in the Place St. Anatole des Arts, admired by Taffy, the Laird, and Trilby alike. His charm is inseparable from his sincerity, and the narrator insists he is 'full of genius' as well as simple and affectionate. When he and his mother and sister leave Paris, the studio empties of its warmth, and his absence becomes the measure of how much the others have lost.

## Relationships

### [Taffy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/taffy)

_friendship_

Little Billee and Taffy are close, loyal friends and fellow art students who support each other through various trials.

### [Trilby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/trilby)

_romantic_

Little Billee is deeply in love with Trilby, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by passion and eventual tragedy.

### [Svengali](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/svengali)

_rivalry_

Little Billee and Svengali are bitter rivals for Trilby's affection and control over her life, with Svengali manipulating her away from Billee.

### [The Laird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/the_laird)

_friendship_

Little Billee and The Laird are close friends and fellow art students, sharing a deep bond within their trio.

### [Monsieur J⸺](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/monsieur_j)

_social_

Little Billee knows Monsieur J⸺ as an acquaintance in the Parisian art and music scene, but they are not close.

### [Trilby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/trilby)

_romantic_

Little Billee is deeply in love with Trilby, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by passion and eventual tragedy.

### [Svengali](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/svengali)

_rivalry_

Little Billee and Svengali are bitter rivals for Trilby's affection and control over her life, with Svengali manipulating her away from Billee.

### [Taffy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/taffy)

_friendship_

Little Billee and Taffy are close, loyal friends and fellow art students who support each other through various trials.

### [Trilby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/trilby)

_romantic_

Little Billee is deeply in love with Trilby, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by passion and eventual tragedy.

### [Svengali](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/svengali)

_rivalry_

Little Billee and Svengali are bitter rivals for Trilby's affection and control over her life, with Svengali manipulating her away from Billee.

### [Taffy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/taffy)

_friendship_

Little Billee and Taffy are close, loyal friends and fellow art students who support each other through various trials.

### [The Laird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/the_laird)

_friendship_

Little Billee and The Laird are close friends and fellow art students, sharing a deep bond within their trio.

## In the story

### [Part V: Little Billee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/chapters/part-iv-part-v-little-billee)

Achieves success in London, begins the Moon-Dial painting, and develops platonic relationships with society women.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters/little_billee
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/trilby_se/characters