Character Relationship Map: Malpertuis

Characters

• Cassavius (played by Orson Welles) — protagonist

  Cassavius is Jan's bedridden occultist uncle and the owner of Malpertuis. He prepares to divide the family estate among the heirs, but only on the condition that they never leave the mansion. He belie...

• Nancy / Euryale / Alice / Nurse / Charlotte (played by Susan Hampshire) — protagonist

  Nancy is Jan's sister and one of the relatives gathered inside Malpertuis. She is trapped with the family when Cassavius imposes his condition on the inheritance, becoming part of the mysterious house...

• Jan (played by Mathieu Carrière) — supporting

  Jan is a young sailor who returns to land and searches for his childhood home before being mysteriously abducted. He awakens in Malpertuis among unfamiliar relatives and becomes the central investigat...

• Lampernisse (played by Jean-Pierre Cassel) — supporting

  Lampernisse is a madman who resides in the isolated mansion of Malpertuis. Jan encounters him among the strange inhabitants of the family estate, where corridors, hidden rooms, and unexplained deaths...

• Mathias Crook (played by Daniel Pilon) — supporting

  Mathias Crook appears aboard the ship carrying Jan. He insists to the others that Jan is on board while they discuss the one night Jan has before coming ashore. His insistence establishes Jan’s presen...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Cassavius → Nancy / Euryale / Alice / Nurse / Charlotte (Power Occultist And Confined Heir) — Cassavius binds Euryale to the estate through his inheritance terms and asks her to assist his death.

  Cassavius divides his fortune among the beneficiaries on the condition that they remain at Malpertuis for life. He also urges Euryale to help him die.

• Nancy / Euryale / Alice / Nurse / Charlotte → Jan (Family Sister And Romantic Interest) — Their bond combines the stated sibling relationship with Jan and Euryale's desire to remain together; the supplied material presents Nancy and Euryale under the same character entry.

  The character profile identifies Nancy as Jan's sister. The plot says Euryale desires to become an ordinary woman with Jan, and Jan refuses to leave M...

• Cassavius → Jan (Family Uncle And Nephew) — Cassavius draws his nephew into the inheritance and the fate he has arranged for Malpertuis.

  Cassavius is described as Jan's occultist uncle. At Malpertuis, Cassavius recognizes Jan as a true Cassavius and calls his arrival the fulfillment of...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lampernisse → Jan (Conflict Obsession With His Body) — Lampernisse's fixation makes him a threatening presence as Jan is drawn into the household.

  Lampernisse becomes obsessed with Jan's body and sees it as material for his art.

• Mathias Crook → Jan (Social Shipboard Acquaintance) — Mathias identifies Jan as aboard the ship, establishing their direct connection during Jan's return.

  Aboard the ship, Mathias Crook insists that Jan is on board while others discuss Jan's last night before coming ashore.

Story Analysis

Jan's search for his family leads him into a house governed by Cassavius's inheritance, where he must choose between escape and remaining with Euryale.

Plot Progression

1. Return to a Changed City — Jan comes ashore and finds that the quay has been renamed and his former home demolished. His search for family leads him toward Malpertuis.
2. Drawn into Malpertuis — Jan is directed to Malpertuis and deliberately guided back into the house as part of a trap. Cassavius recognizes him and frames his arrival as destiny.
3. Secrets of the Household — Lampernisse describes Cassavius's life-creation experiments and reveals his own fixation on Jan's body. The household's unsettling history becomes more explicit.
4. The Inheritance Trap — Cassavius announces his death and the will binds its beneficiaries to Malpertuis. The estate's rules make the household's future dependent on survival and marriage.
5. A Choice to Remain — After Cassavius's death, Euryale wrestles with her identity and desire to be with Jan. Despite warnings and a possible route out, Jan stays rather than leave her.