The Victorians would

This is another diminishing aspect of Reseck's character that the author exposes to his readers and in order to explore this further Chandler uses Tony's brother Al. The brother's only appearance happens somewhere in the middle of the story when a porter at the hotel tells Tony that he has a visitor. The porter is concerned for Tony's safety because his description of Al is that of a gang member with which the audience would have been more than familiar with at the time: a relation to the era. At the beginning of the conversation between the brothers the reader learns that Tony and Al have not seen each other for a while. When Al extends his hand to Tony, the detective refuses. Both of these points indicate to the reader that Reseck likes to keep his distance from everyone, even from his own family:

Al: "I forgot. Guess you don't want to shake hands." Tony: "That don't mean anything," ... "Monkeys can shake hands." Al: "Still the funny fat guy, eh, Tony? The quote above seems to suggest a trace of rivalry between the two brothers, as if they are both trying to compete for something, perhaps their mother's love: Al: "How's mom these days?" In stark contrast to Tony Reseck and his brother Al, Sherlock Homes is portrayed throughout many of Doyle's tales to be almost superhuman. Holmes is of course The Speckled Band's main character. He is a confident, debonair man, who is suave and intelligent, thriving upon intellectual stimulation. The detective is affluent, enigmatic, incisive, and in all probability, successful, although his self-confidence often borders on arrogance:

"Fancy his having the insolence to confound me with the official detective force!" Holmes is socially and publicly well known and the author implies this at the beginning of the story when Ms. Stoner arrives at Holmes' Baker Street apartment: "I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes; I have heard of you from Mrs. Farintosh...Oh, Sir, do you not think you could help me too?" These couple of sentences early on in the tale emphasises the reputation of this renowned detective.

All of his stereotypical middle-class Victorian qualities are reflected in the customary, methodical manner that he goes about his work. Holmes always proceeds with a case by the same means as does the author, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, who never reveals what his hero is thinking until the end of the story. This requires the reader to use their deductive powers and intellect to attempt to solve the case independently allowing them to engage with the story.

The reader needs some form of relation to a character in the tale (who is in many ways similar to themselves) so that the story is able to flow. Consequently Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle employs a colleague for his hero in order to fulfil the previous requirement. Holmes' sidekick, Dr Watson, acts as the narrator throughout Doyle's books. He helps provide a perspective from an observer's view and a personal, subjective account. He is like the reader; has no idea what his colleague is thinking and is not brilliant enough to solve the case himself.

Watson helps provide a contrast between himself and Holmes during the story, as does the arch-villain, Doctor Roylott. As mentioned before the Doctor is the stereotypical, melodramatic arch villain of The Speckled Band. His first encounter with Holmes is quite early on in the tale when the doctor "visits" Holmes and Watson at their apartment. Before words are exchanged Doyle includes a fairly lengthy description of Roylott using such phrases as: seared with a thousand wrinkles and bile-shot eyes.

The Victorians would have recognised the systematic description of the stranger's appearance as that of a villain's just like people of today could but perhaps not so easily. As the encounter develops the author sets Roylott against Holmes in order to compliment his hero's qualities. Firstly Holmes mental strength is tested during Roylott's heated and mainly one-sided conversation to which he just laughs or ridicules: "What has she been saying to you?" screamed the old man furiously. "But I have heard that the crocuses promise well," continued my companion imperturbably.

Secondly, Doyle compares the detective and doctor's physical strength. Roylott grasps the poker in Holmes' apartment and bends it into a curve. Holmes' reply after the Doctor leaves is to straighten the poker. Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, therefore, uses his arch-villain to set his hero against in an attempt to prove that Detective Sherlock Holmes is indeed superior in every way. However, in I'll Be Waiting there is no an arch villain. A possible reason for this is that Chandler is indicating how the times were corrupt enough and therefore no villain is needed.

Both I'll Be Waiting and The Speckled Band have story lines based around a female victim. In I'll Be Waiting the female victim is Ms. Eve Cressy: a mysterious red-haired girl who is waiting for her ex-husband to retrieve her. The female victim in The Speckled Band is Ms. Helen Stoner, who is a young, innocent and anxious: We could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey... The language of The Speckled Band informs us about characters and provides the reader with a great deal of information about the era of story. All sentences are grammatically correct and sometimes even ostentatious. The sentence structures are often complex containing archaic clauses.

"And now, Watson, this is too serious for dawdling, especially as the old man is aware that we are interesting ourselves in his affairs; so if you are ready, we shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo." This use this anachronistic language portrays the confidence and poise of Sherlock Holmes and 19th Century Britain. In contrast, the language used in I'll Be Waiting is more argot, streetwise, cynical and somewhat slick: They never run out of gas-those boys And Talk it up copper. My mind reader just quit.