Crooked House

Charles asks his father what murderers are like. Arthur replies that most murderers present as nice, normal people, but inwardly they lack a sense of morality. To them murder isn’t a crime but a necessity to get whatever it is that they want. Murderers are most likely to kill people they love, “because only the people you love can really make life unendurable to you” (96). Arthur muses that a common characteristic shared by all murderers is vanity. They naturally want to boast about their crimes but can’t talk openly because they must be careful not to betray too much information. He advises Charles to stay at Three Gables for a longer period and talk to the family again. As neither an investigator nor a family member, his neutral perspective might be useful. Taverner also asks him to keep an eye on Josephine, who might know too much for her own good.

Returning to Three Gables, Charles finds Josephine sitting outside on a bench. She reproaches him for going to the police with her information about Roger, and he apologizes. The family is planning to gather later that night to discuss Roger’s bankruptcy. Josephine believes that Edith is inclined to give him her share of Aristide’s money, but Philip is not.