# Martin Ricardo — Victory character guide > Martin Ricardo in Victory by Joseph Conrad. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mr. Secretary Ricardo, Ricardo, the devoted Martin, the faithful Ricardo **First appearance:** 0004-victory ## Snapshot Jones's devoted and dangerous secretary, all bared teeth and quick grins, who measures every man for a weakness he can use. ## Who they are Ricardo is the muscle and the cunning behind Mr. Jones, a man who has beaten a companion half to death and boasts of it with a lip-retracting smile. He studies Heyst's face for drink, fear, or surprise and finds none, which only sharpens his interest. His fixation on Lena, glimpsed through the bungalow's shadows, becomes a volatile force that neither his governor nor Heyst can fully control. ## Relationships ### [Schomberg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/schomberg) _rivalry_ Ricardo, as Jones's lieutenant, antagonizes and manipulates the hotelkeeper Schomberg, who fears and resents him. ### [Mr. Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/mr_jones) _professional_ Ricardo serves as Jones's loyal but cunning subordinate, executing his schemes with violent efficiency. ### [Lena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/lena) _psychological_ Ricardo becomes obsessively lustful toward Lena, while she plays along to manipulate and ultimately betray him. ### [Axel Heyst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/axel_heyst) _rivalry_ Heyst and Ricardo are direct adversaries, with Ricardo threatening Heyst's life and relationship with Lena. ### [Pedro](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/pedro) _professional_ Pedro is Ricardo's brutish, mute henchman, used for physical intimidation and violence. ### [Schomberg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/schomberg) _rivalry_ Ricardo, as Jones's lieutenant, antagonizes and manipulates the hotelkeeper Schomberg, who fears and resents him. ### [Mr. Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/mr_jones) _professional_ Ricardo serves as Jones's loyal but cunning subordinate, executing his schemes with violent efficiency. ### [Schomberg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/schomberg) _rivalry_ Ricardo, as Jones's lieutenant, antagonizes and manipulates the hotelkeeper Schomberg, who fears and resents him. ### [Mr. Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/mr_jones) _professional_ Ricardo serves as Jones's loyal but cunning subordinate, executing his schemes with violent efficiency. ### [Axel Heyst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/axel_heyst) _rivalry_ Heyst and Ricardo are direct adversaries, with Ricardo threatening Heyst's life and relationship with Lena. ### [Lena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/lena) _psychological_ Ricardo becomes obsessively lustful toward Lena, while she plays along to manipulate and ultimately betray him. ### [Pedro](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/pedro) _professional_ Pedro is Ricardo's brutish, mute henchman, used for physical intimidation and violence. ## In the story ### [Author's Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/author-s-note) Based on a fellow passenger on a schooner in the Gulf of Mexico, whose green eyes and secretive manner suggested a dangerous nature. ### [Part I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/victory) Mr. Jones's devoted and dangerous secretary, accompanying him to Schomberg's establishment. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Ricardo is introduced as Mr. Jones's secretary, a pockmarked man with a harsh voice and a savage grin. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Ricardo is Mr. Jones's secretary, described as having a feline, inhuman quality. He confirms their desperate nature with grins and gestures, and his presence adds to Schomberg's unease. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Croupier and enforcer, recounts to Schomberg the story of their escape from a schooner, including threatening the captain. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-ii-vii) Ricardo dominates the conversation, boasting about his gambling philosophy, recounting a violent episode with alligator hunters, and explaining Mr. Jones's fits of boredom. He displays a catlike, predatory demeanor. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-ii-viii) Listens to Schomberg's tale, becomes interested in the prospect of plunder, and agrees to consider the plan while managing Mr. Jones. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iii-vi) Ricardo is one of the men in the boat, initially appearing weak but quickly revealing a violent and aggressive nature. He attacks Pedro with a tiller. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iii-vii) Ricardo narrates their ordeal at sea, boasts of beating Pedro, and tries to gauge Heyst's character. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iii-x) Plots the extraction of Heyst's treasure, worries about Wang, and deliberately conceals Lena's presence from Mr. Jones. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-i) Watches the bungalow with animal-like patience, then enters and charges at Lena. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-ii) Assaults Lena, then tries to win her over as an ally in the plot to rob Heyst. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-iii) Ricardo is trapped in Lena's room but escapes via a window with her help; he is impressed by her courage and tries to recruit her. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-vi) Lingering on the verandah, he spots Heyst and Lena walking together and decides to hide the woman's presence from Mr. Jones, driven by a volatile mix of lust, jealousy, and a sense of kinship. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-vii) Becomes distracted and sentimental after seeing Lena, shaves, and contemplates conflict with his governor. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-ix) Ricardo arrives as a guest, displaying a mix of cunning and false candor, and secretly grips Lena's arm under the table. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-x) Ricardo negotiates with Heyst, whistles for Pedro, and later dashes ahead to inform Mr. Jones of Heyst's arrival. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-xi) Ricardo is described as being absorbed in contemplation of Lena, and Mr. Jones suspects he has betrayed him. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-xii) Returns to the bungalow, expresses violent love and desire for Lena, and gives her his knife. He is spurned and then flees after a shot is fired. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-xiii) His dagger is held by Davidson; Lena claims it as the symbol of her victory. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/chapters/part-iv-xiv) Ricardo is shot dead by Mr. Jones; his body is left to rot on the island. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters/martin_ricardo - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/victory_se/characters