# Mr. Home — Villette character guide

> Mr. Home in Villette by Charlotte Brontë.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** M. de Bassompierre, de Bassompierre, Count de Bassompierre

**First appearance:** 0001-ii-paulina

## Snapshot

Paulina's devoted father, a wealthy English gentleman who later emerges as the Count de Bassompierre, his fortunes and affections shaping his daughter's world.

## Who they are

Mr. Home is a man of means and feeling whose return to his daughter Paulina restores her to a life of comfort and status as the Count de Bassompierre. His devotion to her is absolute, and his wealth and position give her a social standing that quietly reshapes the circles around Lucy Snowe. He matters because his reappearance turns Paulina from a lonely child into an heiress — and because his paternal love sets a standard of tenderness the novel keeps testing.

## In the story

### [Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/i-bretton)

Polly's father; a sensitive, scientific man of mixed French and Scottish origin, grieving his wife's death and traveling for health.

### [Paulina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/ii-paulina)

Paulina's father, a stern-featured but affectionate man who shares a deep bond with his daughter.

### [The Playmates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/iii-the-playmates)

Paulina's father; he stays two days, sits by the fireside in a morbid mood, and allows Paulina to sit on his knee while she works on a keepsake handkerchief.

### [London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/vi-london)

The father of the young girl on the packet ship; he scrutinizes the passengers before leaving his daughter to travel alone.

### [M. de Bassompierre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxiv-m-de-bassompierre)

Referred to as M. de Bassompierre, Ginevra's uncle, who has recently arrived in Villette with his daughter.

### [The Little Countess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxv-the-little-countess)

Count de Bassompierre; brings Paulina to school, later returns with Dr. Bretton through the snow.

### [A Burial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxvi-a-burial)

Paulina's father; regards her as a child; invites savants to dinner; notices Paulina's shyness with Graham.

### [The First Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxii-the-first-letter)

Paulina's father, Count de Bassompierre; present during the riding encounter and unaware of the correspondence.

### [Sunshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxvii-sunshine)

Paulina's father, initially unaware of the relationship but begins to observe and meditate on his daughter's happiness.

### [The Happy Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xl-the-happy-pair)

M. de Bassompierre; pursues the fugitives but arrives too late; negotiates Ginevra's dowry.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/mr_home
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters