Mr. Thomas

Outer characterization

Mr. Thomas is a character in Graham Greene’s short story “The Destructors”. He is an elderly man who lives next to the Wormsley Common car park where the gang usually meets. He is nicknamed “Old Misery” by the gang as he seems to be a sad, lonely man who lives alone. 

His house at number 3, Northwood Terrace, has survived the bombs of the Blitz while its neighbors had been destroyed. The house is a beautiful and old building, built by a famous British architect. This shows that Mr. Thomas belongs to the upper-class and had some degree of wealth before the war. 

He is old and in pain because of old age. When trying to jump the wall of his garden he complains about his “rheumatics”, the pain in his joints and muscles. He also complains about this when he realizes the boys will let him spend the night inside the uncomfortable toilet shed. ...