Woman in white by wilkie collins

Sir Percival Glyde
Percival is Laura Fairlie’s husband, and one of the two important villains of the story. He is the lesser villain in comparison to Fosco. Percival is not shy about committing crimes, but he lacks the sophisticated criminal skills of Fosco. He relies on Fosco to plot and execute his evil schemes. Percival is the illegitimate child of the late Sir Percival and a woman of low rank. Percival fakes his parents’ marriage record and usurps the possession of the baronetcy and the grand estate of Blackwater Park, neither of which he is entitled to. Percival is heartless, brutal, unscrupulous and completely without human compassion. He marries Laura out of purely mercenary motives and treats her in a disgraceful manner after the marriage by subjecting her to physical abuse, poisoning and imprisonment. He is the embodiment of the scheming illegitimate child who craves wealth and social position. His mistreatment of Laura sheds light on the mistreatment and abuses of women during the Victorian era. Percival is also an accomplished dissembler. He assumes the most pleasing manners during his courtship with Laura. Both Laura and Marian are deceived by his dissembling facade. Percival’s two-faced behavior shows that the civilized and polished Victorian manners often conceal the most hideous human character. Percival tries to destroy the faked marriage record by fire, and is burnt to death in the flames. His death frees Laura from this horrible marriage and enables her to marry her true love.