Billy Budd: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

The narrator says that on the Indomitable there was no hint of mutiny, as the sailors were loyal to Captain Vere, a bachelor about 40 years old, who was brave and always mindful of his men's welfare. He had an unassuming demeanor—in fact, the narrator says, if he were in civilian garb, one could mistake him for a guest onboard. He had a modest, aristocratic virtue and often daydreamed while looking out at the sea. He was given the nickname "Starry Vere," taken from a line in a poem by Andrew Marvell.