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Stephen’s Mother / Mrs. Wheatley
Keith’s uncle and Auntie Dee’s husband, who is an air force officer supposedly away at war, but is actually hiding in a field. He is glorified in the novel for his participation in the Royal Air Force, and his service is a point of pride for Auntie Dee. Stephen explains that she even mirrors his person with her messy home and reckless yet cheerful personality. It is implied that Uncle Peter has deserted his post in the air force, most likely due to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or his discomfort in being involved in the British bombing efforts, which were controversial for their indiscriminate targeting of civilians. However, as Stephen notes, Uncle Peter is still glorified in the Close for his participation in the war, making his desertion all the more disappointing and important to be kept secret. In Uncle Peter’s interactions with Stephen, it is revealed that he has loved Keith’s mother from the very beginning and hints at the fact that they are involved in a secret affair.
Uncle Peter / the Man Quotes in Spies
The Spies quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Peter / the Man or refer to Uncle Peter / the Man. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
We’ve come on a journey from the highest to the lowest—from the silver-framed heroes on the altars in the Haywards' house through the descending social gradations of the Close, from the Berrills and Geests to us, from us to the Pinchers, on down through the squalor of the Cottages and their wretched occupants, and then, reached even lower, to an old derelict taking refuge under a sheet of corrugated iron.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
Whoever and whatever he was or wasn’t, Stephen was still quite clear about one thing: he was a German. There was no way round that.
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Uncle Peter / the Man Quotes in Spies
The Spies quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Peter / the Man or refer to Uncle Peter / the Man. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
We’ve come on a journey from the highest to the lowest—from the silver-framed heroes on the altars in the Haywards' house through the descending social gradations of the Close, from the Berrills and Geests to us, from us to the Pinchers, on down through the squalor of the Cottages and their wretched occupants, and then, reached even lower, to an old derelict taking refuge under a sheet of corrugated iron.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
Whoever and whatever he was or wasn’t, Stephen was still quite clear about one thing: he was a German. There was no way round that.
