Old John Osborne
George Osborne's father is a tyrant who rules his household with terror, but he does not intimidate George, nor in turn little Georgy. Mr. Osborne's idea of a hint that he doesn't want a footman around any more is to kick the fellow downstairs.
Old Osborne belongs in Vanity Fair. When John Sedley fails in business, Osborne, whom Sedley has helped, is the first to turn against Sedley. Osborne forbids George to marry Amelia unless she has ten thousand pounds. A name-dropper, Osborne wants his son to associate with nobility, but he objects to gambling. He commands his son to marry the wealthy mulatto heiress, Miss Swarts, but George marries Amelia and his father disowns him. Only long after George's death, and by the offices of William Dobbin, does old Osborne mellow and begin to redress his wrongs to his son's wife.
In his old age he becomes very fond of his grandson, although he fears him, and determines to make him a scholar. Dimly, he realizes some of the mistakes he made with the first George; he worries about the likeness of the second to the first George.
Marie Osborne
Maria Osborne, engaged to marry Frederick Bullock, hopes to get more money because of George's defection. When she marries Frederick, she feels obligated to scorn her own family, ruining her chances of getting more money out of them. When Amelia is restored to family favor, Maria patronizes her, and plans that one of her daughters should marry Georgy to get back the family money. Maria would have married anybody for money and position.
