List of A Series of Unfortunate Events characters: Difference between revisions

• In the 2004 film and its video game adaption, Count Olaf is played by Jim Carrey while the video game adaption had Count Olaf's additional dialogue provided by Robin Atkin Downes.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Violet Baudelaire

Violet Baudelaire is one of the three protagonists of the series; she appears in all thirteen novels. Violet helps her 12-year-old brother Klaus and her baby sister Sunny solve problems with her inventing skills. As the eldest, she is the natural leader of the group. Violet is the eldest Baudelaire: she is fourteen at the beginning of the series and turns fifteen in The Grim Grotto. Brett Helquist's drawings indicate she has long, brown hair.

When thinking and concentrating on new inventions, Violet ties her hair in a purple ribbon to keep it out of her face. Violet is a brilliant inventor, inventing various items such as a grappling hook that gets her up Count Olaf's tower in The Bad Beginning, a lock pick that enables her to open up Count Olaf's suitcase in The Reptile Room, a signaling device in The Wide Window, a climbing device made from ties, curtains, and extension cords in The Ersatz Elevator, an invention created from a bread and water meal that frees the three siblings from the Village of Fowl Devotees' uptown jail in The Vile Village before two of them are to be burned alive, a rubber band ladder to get out of the burning Heimlich Hospital in The Hostile Hospital, fork-assisted climbing shoes that help her and Quigley Quagmire get up the frozen waterfall of Mount Fraught in The Slippery Slope, and many more.

• In the 2004 film as well as its video game adaption, Violet is played by Emily Browning.
• In the 2017 TV series, she is played by Malina Weissman.

Klaus Baudelaire

Klaus is one of the three protagonists of the series who appears in all thirteen novels. Klaus is the middle child of the Baudelaire orphans; he has an older sister named Violet and a younger sister named Sunny. His sister, Violet, is the family inventor, Sunny is the family biter (and later chef), and Klaus is the researcher. He is twelve years old at the beginning of the series and turns thirteen in The Vile Village. By the end of the series, he is fourteen. Klaus is the "bookworm" of the family, and his love of books has often helped him save himself and his sisters.

• In the 2004 film as well as its video game adaption, Klaus is played by Liam Aiken.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is played by Louis Hynes.

Sunny Baudelaire

Sunny Baudelaire is one of the three protagonists of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series who appears in all thirteen novels. Sunny is the youngest of the three Baudelaire orphans and is described as an infant through much of the series. Although Sunny cannot walk until the end of the seventh book and speaks in an idiosyncratic form of baby talk, she repeatedly demonstrates advanced problem solving skills, motor dexterity, comprehension, moral reasoning, and intelligence.

Early in the series, Sunny is frequently noted for the size and strength of her teeth. While Klaus and Violet often use their respective talents of reading and inventing to solve their problems, Sunny is required on multiple occasions to use her sharp teeth. As the books progress and Sunny grows out of infancy, she develops a love for cooking.

• In the 2004 film, Sunny is played by Kara and Shelby Hoffman. In the video game adaption, her vocal effects are provided by Karis Campbell.
• In the 2017 TV series, she is played by Presley Smith with Tara Strong providing her baby vocal effects.

Arthur Poe

Arthur Poe is a banker in charge of the Baudelaire and Quagmire fortunes and the Baudelaire orphans' guardianship. He is distinguished by a congenital cough, purblind demeanor, and general inefficacy in caring for both sets of children. Poe is the first to bring the news of Bertrand and Beatrice's death to the Baudelaire children. As executor of the Baudelaire estate, he interprets the will's instructions that the children "be raised in the most convenient way possible" as meaning they should remain within the city limits, and arranges for their distant cousin Count Olaf to take custody. When the Baudelaires contact Poe at his bank, Mulctuary Money Management, to report Olaf's abuse, the banker points out that Olaf is acting in loco parentis, and can raise them as he sees fit. However, when Olaf traps Sunny in a birdcage and attempts to force Violet to marry him during the play, Poe invokes citizen's arrest just prior to Count Olaf's escape.

Since then, Arthur Poe tries to find a suitable guardian to watch over the kids.

• In the 2004 film, Arthur Poe is played by Timothy Spall. In the video game adaption, he is voiced by Daniel Hagen.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is played by K. Todd Freeman.

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is the author of this book series who has chronicled the lives to the Baudelaire children.

• In the 2004 film, Lemony Snicket is portrayed by Jude Law where he is shown writing the story on a typewriter inside a clock tower. In the video game adaption, he is voiced by Tim Curry.
• In the 2017 TV series, he is portrayed by Patrick Warburton who appears as the onscreen narrator that is shown in different outfits to go with specific scenes.

Baudelaire family members

Bertrand Baudelaire

Bertrand Baudelaire is the father of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, the husband of Beatrice, and a V.F.D. member. Throughout the series, the children remember anecdotes about their father, such as him cooking at a dinner party. He was a childhood friend of Beatrice and a good friend of Dewey Denouement.^[2] As a member of the V.F.D., Bertrand helped train the V.F.D. lions.^[3] Count Olaf implies that Bertrand and Beatrice murdered Olaf's parents. At the outset of the series, Bertrand died in the fire that destroyed the Baudelaire Mansion.

Beatrice Baudelaire

Lemony Snicket was in love with Beatrice and they were engaged, but Beatrice cancelled the marriage and married Bertrand instead because she believed that Lemony was dead after his obituary appeared in The Daily Punctilio newspaper. Various hints are dispensed throughout the series as to why she called off the marriage. According to

In the 2004 film, Beatrice is played in an uncredited cameo by Helena Bonham Carter.

Beatrice Baudelaire II

Beatrice Baudelaire II is the daughter of Kit Snicket,

In The Beatrice Letters, which is set ten years after the main series, she is the second Beatrice Baudelaire. She is searching for her uncle Lemony Snicket and for the Baudelaire orphans, who have apparently disappeared.^[5] She follows her uncle and writes him six letters. However, he constantly refuses to see her and actively runs from her. She writes that she attends a "secretarial school that isn't really a secretarial school", implying that she has found a V.F.D. training school. Her sixth letter is signed "Beatrice Baudelaire, Baticeer Extraordinaire."

Montgomery Montgomery

Dr. Montgomery Montgomery or "Uncle Monty" (introduced and killed in The Reptile Room) is Bertrand Baudelaire's cousin's brother-in-law and Violet, Klaus, and Sunny's second guardian, but he prefers to be called Uncle Monty. His sole appearance is in The Reptile Room. It is thought that his name is inspired by Monty Python, as he is a herpetologist (one who studies snakes) whose first name is Monty.

Uncle Monty is a "fat, short, chubby man with a round red face." He discovered the Incredibly Deadly Viper (which is in fact not deadly at all). When the Baudelaires first meet him, he gives them homemade coconut cream cake, and the Baudelaires instantly warm to him. He plans to take them to

Aunt Josephine thinks that grammar is the greatest joy in life. She keeps many books about Lake Lachrymose under her bed. These books include The Tides of Lake Lachrymose, The Bottom of Lake Lachrymose, Lachrymose Trout, The History of the Damocles Dock Region, Ivan Lachrymose - Lake Explorer, How Water Is Made and A Lachrymose Atlas. Ever since her husband Isaac (Ike for short) was devoured by Lachrymose Leeches, she has developed numerous fears, including irrational concerns about doorknobs, radiators, telephones, and ovens. In Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, several events Josephine was irrationally afraid of occur when her home falls into the lake, including a fridge nearly falling on Klaus and a radiator exploding.

In the end, Josephine pleads with

• In the film adaptation, Aunt Josephine is played by Meryl Streep. In the video game adaption, she is voiced by Donna Bullock.
• In the 2017 Netflix television series, she is played by Alfre Woodard. She had her first encounter with Count Olaf where his theater troupe posed as random civilians talking about him.

Count Olaf's acting troupe

The Hook-Handed Man

Fernald, commonly known as the Hook-Handed Man, is an assistant of Count Olaf. He wears fake hands on his hooks and/or other outfits that would hide his hooks when posing as different people.

First appearing in The Bad Beginning as part of his theatre troupe, he was the one who catches Violet when she climbs up the side of Count Olaf's tower in an attempt to rescue Sunny and informs Count Olaf about it. When Count Olaf's true nature is exposed, the Hook-Handed Man is among the members of Count Olaf's theater troupe that escape in the blackout.

In The Reptile Room, the Hook-Handed Man poses as a doctor named Dr. O. Lucafont to examine the supposed bite marks that the Mamba Du Mal supposedly left on Montgomery Montgomery. When Stefano was exposed as Count Olaf, Sunny bites off the Dr. O. Lucafont's fake hands exposing him as well. Both men managed to get away.

In The Wide Window, the Hook-Handed Man poses as a ferryman.

In The Ersatz Elevator, the Hook-Handed Man poses as a doorman at 667 Dark Avenue. He wore a long coat that had long sleeves that hid his hooks.

He appears in The Hostile Hospital, posing as a doctor at Heimlich Hospital where he assisting Olaf's surgical attempt to murder Violet.

In The Grim Grotto, Fiona meets him and it is revealed that they are siblings: Captain Widdershins is his stepfather. He joined Olaf and left Captain Widdershins after burning down Anwhistle Aquatics. He also joined Count Olaf because Captain Widdershins always said "Aye!" which annoyed him. Fiona convinces him to steal Olaf's submarine. Their fate is unknown as Kit Snicket reports in The End that she abandoned them in the face of the "Great Unknown." It is also revealed that when he had to wait, he played a card game he made up named Fernald's Folly.

• In the film, the Hook-Handed Man is portrayed by Jamie Harris. He is British and as revealed in the deleted scenes, is obsessed with pirates which is something that annoys Count Olaf. The Hook-Handed Man seems to relish in his use of his hook hands. In the video game adaption, the Hook-Handed Man is voiced by Jay Gordon.
• In the Netflix series, he is portrayed by Usman Ally. He has scars on his face, is bald-headed, and his hook hands have claws. He has the most interaction with the Baudelaires and makes constant threats. Though he also does not appear to have any problem understanding Sunny. As a nod to the books, he likes to play cards and does so with Sunny while he is guarding her. However, just like the Bald Man, the Hook-Handed Man too appears to be comically unintelligent.

The Bald Man With the Long Nose

The Bald Man With the Long Nose is one of Olaf's henchmen, he is described as a bald man with a hooked nose who always wears a black robe. At the time when Count Olaf's true nature is exposed, the Bald Man is among the members of Count Olaf's theatre troupe that escape during the blackout.

In The Miserable Mill, the Bald Man disguises himself as Foreman Flacutono.

In The Hostile Hospital, the Bald Man disguises himself as the head doctor at Heimlich Hospital while using a surgical mask to cover his face both times.

In The Carnivorous Carnival, he and Olivia Caliban fell into the lion pit and are devoured by the lions.

• In the film, the Bald Man is portrayed by Luis Guzmán. He is shown to be the least sinister with no long nose but a short one, and for that matter least intelligent, of the troupe. The deleted scenes reveal that he wishes to have a prominent role in The Marvelous Marriage, but Count Olaf makes him the effects man instead. In the video game adaption, the Bald Man is voiced by S. Scott Bullock.
• In the Netflix series, the Bald Man is portrayed by John DeSantis. He is shown to be rather large and intimidating with a short nose instead of a long one. In addition, the Bald Man has a deep bellowing voice. Despite this, he is shown to be just as unintelligent as his movie counterpart. Also, he was the one who caused the blackout that enabled Count Olaf and his theatre troupe to get away and his Foreman Flacutono alias was used by the Hook-Handed Man instead.

The Person of Indeterminate Gender

The Person of Indeterminate Gender is one of Olaf's henchpeople who appears in

Described as a gigantic, overweight individual, with pure white eyes and an androgynous appearance. The Person is immensely strong and never speaks, except in bellows and roars. As the Person's gender is said to not look like a man nor a woman, even Count Olaf doesn't know what the Person's gender is. At the time when Count Olaf's true nature is exposed, the Person is among the members of Count Olaf's theatre troupe that escape during the blackout.

In The Wide Window, the Person posed as a security guard at "Captain Sham's Sailboat Rentals."

In The Hostile Hospital, the Person is last seen trapped in a fire at Heimlich Hospital trying to catch the Baudelaires and may have died in the blaze.

• In the film, the Person is portrayed by Craig Ferguson. Most of the Person's dialogue is cut from the film, the Person possess a Scottish accent and surprisingly they too are unsure of their gender, though Count Olaf calls them 'Eliza' even after referring to them as 'he.'
• In the Netflix series, the Person is portrayed by Matty Cardarople. The Person is the youngest member of the troupe and unlike the books, actually talks a lot. However, the Person's speaking is prone to mumbling and mostly consists of rather educated observations that tend to agree with the Baudelaires' arguments. In the episodes adapted from "The Reptile Room," the Person poses as Nurse Lucafont while his follow troupe members pose as members of the sheriff's department putting Uncle Monty's house under "quarantine" following Uncle Monty's death.

The White-Faced Women

The two White-Faced Women are two members of Olaf's theater troupe who always cover their faces in white powder. They are apparently sisters.

They disguise themselves as cafeteria workers in The Austere Academy where they succeed in abducting the Quagmire Children.

In The Hostile Hospital, the White-Faced Women posed as Heimlich Hospital's workers Dr. Tocuna and Nurse Flo.

The White-Faced Women abandon Count Olaf in The Slippery Slope after accusing him of starting a fire that killed their sibling, thus revealing that like the Baudelaires and the Quagmires, they also were three siblings.

• In the film, the White-Faced Women are portrayed by Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams. They are both rather vain and seem to have a slight attraction to Count Olaf. As revealed in the deleted scenes, they seem to be slightly reciprocated. In the video game adaption, the White-Faced Women are voiced by Jocelyn Blue and Kari Wahlgren. The White-Faced Women in the video game adaption are named White-Faced Jen and White-Faced Jane after the actress that portrayed them in the film.
• In the Netflix series, the White-Faced Women are portrayed by Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins. They are twins, they both wear glasses, and are both elderly. They admire Count Olaf and are always finishing each other's sentences. The first part of "The Reptile Room" episode had them attempting to capture Uncle Montgomery only for him to thwart their plan.

The Wart-Faced Man

The Wart-Faced Man is a man with warts on his face that is a minor member of Count Olaf's theater troupe where he worked on Count Olaf's play that would have him actually marrying Violet. Upon Count Olaf's true nature being exposed during the play, the Wart-Faced Man caused a blackout that enabled him, Count Olaf, the Hook-Handed Man, the Bald Man with the Long Nose, the Person of Indeterminate Gender and the two White-Faced Women to escape. The Wart-Faced Man isn't seen again after that.

Esmé Squalor

Esmé Squalor is

Later while staying in the Village of Fowl Devotees in The Vile Village, the Baudelaires hear that the two of them are dating. More than Olaf's girlfriend, Esmé acts as one of his henchmen, although always within the limits of what is "in".^[clarification needed] During this time, Esmé Squalor posed as a police officer named Officer Luciana.

In The Hostile Hospital, Esmé was sent to destroy the Snicket File, one of the last remaining pieces of evidence that could send Count Olaf to jail where she posed as a doctor at Heimlich Hospital. She used her sharp stilettos (the heels were real stiletto knives) to harm the orphans. Esmé was unable to claim the file as the authorities had removed it beforehand, but also because Klaus had page #13 in his pocket. She attempted to murder the orphans by crushing them with book shelves and then burning down the library in which they were in. Esmé captured Violet, but failed to keep her captive.

In The Carnivorous Carnival, Esmé had a rivalry with Madame Lulu, as Madame Lulu had a certain affection for Count Olaf. Esmé constantly gives her angry glances and has the idea of tossing Lulu to the lions.

In The Slippery Slope, the Baudelaires and Quigley Quagmire considered taking Esmé hostage in a plan to rescue Sunny Baudelaire, but canceled the plan because it was "too villainous".

In The Penultimate Peril, Olaf and Esmé break up after fighting during the dramatic "harpoon gun" incident in The Vile Village. She wears a "lettuce bikini" with silver sandals and silver lipstick, and has her name carved into her fingernails. At the end, it is not known whether Esmé escaped the fire at Hotel Denouement with Carmelita Spats, but the narrative suggests that if she did, she never again met the Baudelaire children. She was on the 2nd floor when the Baudelaires last saw her.

In the Netflix TV series, Esmé is portrayed by Lucy Punch.^[7]

Carmelita Spats

Carmelita Spats is a pupil of Prufock Preparatory School and a Snow Scout, appearing in The Austere Academy, The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto and The Penultimate Peril. She dislikes the Baudelaires, taunting them for being orphans and calling them "cakesniffers". Her uncle Bruce is the leader of the Snow Scouts as seen in The Slippery Slope. She hikes up the Mortmain Mountain every year with the group, which celebrates the False Spring by crowning her queen. One year later, she meets Olaf and Esmé at the peak of the mountain and they unofficially adopt her.

In The Grim Grotto, she claims to be a "tap-dancing ballerina fairy princess veterinarian" and performs a recital; Esmé finds this adorable while Olaf is annoyed by it.

In The Penultimate Peril, she dresses as a "ballplaying cowboy superhero soldier pirate" and has a pool and a ship brought to the roof of the Hotel Denouement.

Caligari Carnival freaks

The Caligari Carnival freaks are members of a freak show that reside in the Caligari Carnival's House of Freaks. They later side with Count Olaf.

Hugo

Hugo was a hunchback who is one of the Caligari Carnival freaks. He had a hunched back which made him look slightly awkward. He was good-natured and always flexible towards the present circumstances. Hugo lived with the Baudelaire children for a small period of time in The Carnivorous Carnival and appears to bond with Sunny Baudelaire when they make soup together. He later became one of Count Olaf's henchmen. After discovering that the Baudelaire siblings weren't actually freaks, Hugo appears specially bitter towards them at The Slippery Slope. In The Penultimate Peril, which marks his final appearance in the series, it is left uncertain if Hugo survived the fire at the Hotel Denouement.

Colette

Colette is a

Kevin

Kevin is an Ambidextrous Man who is one of the Caligari Carnival freaks. He considers his trait to be a disability.

The Man with a Beard But No Hair

The Man with a Beard But No Hair has no background history, but is said to be villainous to the point that even Count Olaf fears him. He is the latest member of Count Olaf's theatre troupe.

He and the Woman with Hair But No Beard first appear in The Slippery Slope where they congratulate Count Olaf for setting fire to the Caligari Carnival and gave him the coveted Snicket File when they meet him at the Mortmain Mountains.

In The Penultimate Peril, the Man with a Beard But No Hair and the Woman with Hair But No Beard served as judges alongside Justice Strauss at the trial of the Baudelaire children and Count Olaf.

The Woman with Hair But No Beard

The Woman with Hair But No Beard is a low deep-voiced associate of the Man with a Beard But No Hair where they are the latest members of Count Olaf's theatre troupe. Her "aura of menace" even frightens Count Olaf and Lemony Snicket states that he refused to write down her real name.

She and the Man with a Beard But No Hair first appeared in The Slippery Slope where they congratulate Count Olaf for setting fire to the Caligari Carnival and gave him the coveted Snicket File when they meet him at the Mortmain Mountains.

In The Penultimate Peril, the Woman with Hair But No Beard and the Man with a Beard But No Hair served as judges alongside Justice Strauss at the trial of the Baudelaire children and Count Olaf.

Quagmire family

Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire

Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire are the parents of Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire who are on the fire-fighting side of the V.F.D. They perished in the fire at their home after getting their children to safety.

In the TV series, Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire are portrayed by Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders. Their subplot throughout the first season had them captured by the fire-starting side of the V.F.D. and their escape as they make their way back to their kids. During a flight over Lake Lachrymose, the two of them managed to secretly help the Baudelaires set off a signal light at the time when they are being attacked by the Lachrymose Leeches. Mr. and Mrs. Quagmire were able to reunite with their children. Later that night, an unseen person starts to set fire to their mansion from a distance.

Duncan and Isadora Quagmire

Duncan and Isadora Quagmire are students at Prufrock Preparatory School in The Austere Academy. Their names are an homage to Isadora Duncan, a dancer who was strangled to death when her scarf became caught in the wheel of her car.^[8] They become friends with the Baudelaires: both families lost their parents in a fire and will inherit a large fortune upon coming when they become 18. The Quagmires attempt to help the Baudelaires work out Count Olaf's plan, but end up being kidnapped by him.

They return in The Ersatz Elevator and The Vile Village and the Baudelaires try to help them escape Olaf's clutches; in the latter, they end up escaping in a hot-air balloon house with Hector.

In The End, Kit Snicket tells the Baudelaires that she briefly met up with them, but does not know what happened to them as she abandoned them when threatened by the Great Unknown.

In the TV series, Duncan and Isadora are portrayed by Dylan Kingwell and Avi Lake, respectively.

Quigley Quagmire

Quigley Quagmire is the brother of Duncan and Isadora, who was thought to have died in the fire which killed his parents.

He escaped and eventually managed to find the Baudelaires in The Slippery Slope, where he helped Violet and Klaus rescue their sister. He was then separated from the Baudelaires; he managed to meet up with his siblings, according to Kit Snicket in The End, although she does not know what happened to him after that. He is also the love interest of Violet Baudelaire.

In the TV series, Quigley is portrayed by Dylan Kingwell.

Baudelaire children guardians

In the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, and Sunny Baudelaire live with various guardians following the death of Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire. After a brief stay with Mr. Poe, the children are shuffled from one legal guardian to another until The Vile Village when they run away from the Village of Fowl Devotees and become fugitives for the "murder" of Count Olaf. From this point on, there is always someone (or in some cases several someones) who takes care of them.

Besides Count Olaf, Uncle Montgomery, and Aunt Josephine, among the known guardians in order of appearance are:

Sir

In The Miserable Mill, Sir is the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, located in Paltryville. His real name is not known, although it has been described as being hard to pronounce. Mr. Poe has attempted to pronounce the first syllable of the name, using a radically different syllable every time (Wuz, Qui, Bek, Duy, Sho, Gek, etc.).

Equally obscure is Sir's appearance. Sir's entire head is hidden by the thick smoke of his ever-burning cigar. He shows little or no concern for either the Baudelaire orphans or his employees, whom he pays in coupons and provides with an unsatisfying meal of chewing gum. His partner Charles mentions that he has had a terrible childhood. Following Count Olaf being exposed and his escape with the Bald Man with the Big Nose, Sir fires the Baudelaire children thinking that they would bring misery to Lucky Smells Lumbermill.

He later appears in The Penultimate Peril where he and Charles were in a hotel room for people in the lumbermill industry as Klaus takes them to the sauna down the hall.

Lemony Snicket also stated that neither the Baudelaires, the reader, or himself, would ever see Sir's face.

In the 2017 Netflix series, he is portrayed by Don Johnson. Unlike in the novel, his face is completely unobscured. As he never encountered Mr. Poe, he met the Baudelaire children when they were brought to him by Charles who found them near the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Upon the Baudelaire children breaking Georgina Orwell's hypnosis on the workers, Sir flees amongst the employee chaos.

Charles

Charles is Sir's partner at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in The Miserable Mill.

Charles is kind to the Baudelaires but not very helpful; he organizes a library to be set up at the mill but it only contained three books. He was nearly killed by a hypnotized Klaus before being broken free from Dr. Georgina Orwell's hypnosis by Violet.

Charles makes an appearance in The Penultimate Peril, staying with Sir in the Hotel Denouement where they are seen with other people in the lumbermill industry. He explains to Sir that he wants to apologize to the Baudelaires for their treatment and he is sent a letter by J.S., which assists him in his search. Both of them are taken by Klaus to the sauna that's down the hall. Although it is not stated in the book, Charles may be on the firefighting side of V.F.D.

In the TV series, he is played by Rhys Darby. It is stated that Charles is Sir's romantic partner, something that was only implied in the books. In this show, Charles was the one who found the Baudelaires near the property and brought them to Sir. Before leaving to find Sir after he fled amongst the employee chaos, Charles shows the Baudelaires the truth about their parents actually fighting the fire in Paltryville.

Vice-Principal Nero

Vice-Principal Nero is the vice-principal of Prufrock Preparatory School in The Austere Academy. It has been suggested that his name is an allusion to the Roman Emperor Nero, who is often said to have "fiddled while Rome burned;"^[8]

Vice Principal Nero plays the violin where he expects all his students to attend his six-hour violin performances.^[9]

Nero dresses in a brown suit with a necktie patterned with pictures of snails. In The Austere Academy, his hair is tied into four pigtails, but by The Penultimate Peril, they have grown into four long braids that dangle behind him. Nero often mimics what others have just said in a high, mocking tone and has numerous strict and unusual punishments for his students....Especially if they miss his violin performances. He is a vain egotist.

In his first appearance, he gives Mr. Poe the approval to let the Baudelaires live at his boarding school. Vice-Principal Nero had them in the Orphans Shack with the Quagmire Children. While he has adorded the student Carmelita Spats, he unknowingly hired Count Olaf in the form of Coach Genghis to be the new gym teacher. When the Baudelaires were caught "cheating" in the S.O.R.E. exams, Nero gleefully expels the Baudelaires. Even after Count Olaf was exposed as Coach Genghis and gets away, Nero still wouldn't have the Baudelaires living with him which he argued with Mr. Poe on.

Vice-Principal Nero re-appears in The Penultimate Peril when he, along with Mr. Remora and Mrs. Bass, are invited to Esmé Squalor's cocktail party.

In the Netflix TV series, Vice-Principal Nero is portrayed by Roger Bart.^[7]

Jerome Squalor

Jerome Squalor first appears in The Ersatz Elevator.

He is married to Esmé Squalor; together, they adopted the Baudelaires briefly. Jerome is kind to the Baudelaires, but completely submissive to Esmé and other characters due to his distaste for arguing. He is less of a follower of fashion than Esmé. Jerome is rich and successful as is his wife. He is perhaps the most caring guardian of the Baudelaire children since Uncle Monty.^[