Mr. Bruff Character Analysis

A respected London attorney, who encourages Franklin Blake to make a written record of the Diamond’s theft—which turns out to be The Moonstone. He initially becomes involved in the Diamond’s loss because he is nearly everyone’s lawyer and trusted advisor: John Herncastle, John and Julia Verinder, and Franklin Blake all retain his services. He is also the first to suspect Godfrey Ablewhite of the theft, and while he is a loyal servant to the family (housing Rachel after Julia’s death, for instance), he is generally a sober and pragmatic presence, including in the section of the novel he narrates (which revolves around other people he meets with: the recently-engaged Rachel and Godfrey Ablewhite, the Indian man who visits Bruff at his office, and Mr. Murthwaite, who mentions an interesting theory at dinner). He serves as a witness to Ezra Jennings’s “experiment” and goes with Franklin and Sergeant Cuff to investigate the Diamond when Mr. Luker withdraws it from the bank at the end of the book.