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Bozo
The Russian owner of the Auberge de Jehan Cottard (a Norman-themed restaurant), the Patron is fattish, well dressed, and smells of cologne. He longs to play golf and bores Orwell with talk of the sport. An incompetent cheat, his demeanor is both shifty and aristocratic. He repeatedly lies to Orwell and Boris about the restaurant’s impending opening in order to trick them into helping renovate the building for free. He keeps company with mobsters and he bribes industry insiders to keep his restaurant open.
The Patron Quotes in Down and Out in Paris and London
The Down and Out in Paris and London quotes below are all either spoken by The Patron or refer to The Patron. 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:
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Chapter 9 Quotes
Appearance—appearance is everything, mon ami. Give me a new suit and I will borrow a thousand francs by dinner-time.
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Boris and Orwell have been looking for work for days and having no luck when Boris hears of a Russian restaurant opening up near the Latin Quarter. He and Orwell go to meet the owner of the restaurant, and on the way Boris schools Orwell on the importance of making a good first impression. Clean, presentable clothing is the key to impressing a potential employer. The problem, of course, is that poor men like Boris and Orwell do not have a ready supply of such clothing. They don’t have the money to maintain their own ragged clothes, let alone purchase Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor aspe
It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.
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Just as wearing the wrong clothes will doom a man’s search for a job, if he looks malnourished, a hiring manager is likely to pass him over. Although Boris is the speaker here, Orwell is again making the point that it takes money to make money. Poor men often go for days without food, and such conditions of near starvation result in the kind of ragged appearance that is off-putting to men in authority. The only guarantee of looking well-fed is to have the money necessary for nutritious food, and that means being employed. It’s a cruel catch 22, and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offic
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The Patron Character Timeline in Down and Out in Paris and London
The timeline below shows where the character The Patron appears in Down and Out in Paris and London. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
...surest way to not get hired—and then they go to the restaurant and meet the patron, who proceeds to proudly show them around the restaurant.
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It’s a modest establishment, but the Patron has great expectations. He has christened it Auberge de Jehan Cottard, and he claims (falsely)...
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Chapter 13
...they are lower than waiters. Above the cooks is the manager, and above him the patron, whom the staff never sees. The maître d’hotel is just below the manager and takes...
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Chapter 16
...to see if it is close to opening. There’s been very little progress and the patron proceeds to borrow five francs from Orwell, who is now convinced the restaurant will never...
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Chapter 19
...progress has been made since the last time. It’s immediately apparent to Orwell what the patron is doing. He has engaged a small staff, including Boris and Orwell, in order to...
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...staff go to work at the Auberge, painting and staining and cleaning up, while the patron dodges bill collectors. Meanwhile, Orwell, who is broke again, is back to a diet of...
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...cook weeps because there is not enough equipment for her to feed the customers. The patron and his wife, meanwhile, drink with their creditors, and in the morning the narrator and...
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Chapter 20
The patron, in contrast, stands around smoking and looking gentlemanly. It’s his only job. Late in the...
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Chapter 21
...London looking after a disabled man, so he gives one day’s notice and leaves. The patron, strapped as usual, pays Orwell his wages minus 30 francs.
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