The Gambler: who's who, timeline and places

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AlexisHe belongs to the General’s household and agrees to gamble with Polina’s money.First seen in chapter 1
PolinaShe needs money and gives the narrator funds to gamble on her behalf.First seen in chapter 1
The GeneralHe heads a household awaiting an inheritance and warns the narrator against gambling.First seen in chapter 1
The GrandmotherShe is the General’s mother, whose unanswered telegram troubles him.First seen in chapter 3
BlancheShe is a member of the party whom the narrator regards with suspicion.First seen in chapter 3
Mr. AstleyHis behavior makes the narrator suspect that he loves Polina.First seen in chapter 3
Baroness BurmergelmShe is the woman Polina orders the narrator to approach and provoke.First seen in chapter 5
Baron BurmergelmHe is insulted alongside the Baroness during Alexis’s public provocation.First seen in chapter 6
Maria PhilipovnaHer departure raises questions about the General’s household.First seen in chapter 6
De GriersHe acts for the General, offering concessions and threatening police action over the narrator’s dispute.First seen in chapter 7
PotapitchHe reports further gambling losses after Alexis refuses to accompany the Grandmother.First seen in chapter 12
The Widow de ComingesShe leaves for Paris with Blanche and the narrator.First seen in chapter 15

Chapter 1
The narrator returns to the General’s household, and Polina gives him money to gamble for her.
Chapter 2
The narrator turns Polina’s hundred gülden into sixteen hundred, but she rejects his refusal to gamble again.
Chapter 3
An unanswered telegram about the General’s mother troubles the household, while the narrator examines its debts and attachments.
Chapter 4
The narrator briefly wins thousands at roulette before losing all the money Polina entrusted to him.
Chapter 5
Polina reveals her debt and tests the narrator’s declared obedience by ordering him to provoke Baroness Burmergelm.
Chapter 6
Alexis insults the Baron and Baroness, and the General dismisses him.
Chapter 7
De Griers fails to stop Alexis’s planned confrontation until a note from Polina secures his agreement.
Chapter 8
Mr. Astley explains how Blanche’s past makes another dispute with the Baron dangerous.
Chapter 9
The Grandmother arrives alive, mocks the household’s inheritance hopes, and refuses the General money.
Chapter 10
The Grandmother insists on visiting the Casino and wins heavily at roulette.
Chapter 11
The Grandmother distributes winnings and demands another casino visit, alarming those who depend on her fortune.
Chapter 12
The Grandmother loses heavily, orders preparations for Moscow, then returns to gambling instead.
Chapter 13
The Grandmother departs with borrowed money, and Alexis finds Polina waiting in his room.
Chapter 14
After reading De Griers’ farewell letter, Alexis rushes to gamble and returns with enormous winnings for Polina.
Chapter 15
Polina throws Alexis’s offered money at him and seeks refuge with Mr. Astley.
Chapter 15
Alexis accepts Blanche’s invitation and leaves for Paris with her and the Widow de Cominges.
Chapter 16
Blanche spends Alexis’s money in Paris, then marries the General after his arrival.
Chapter 17
Alexis recounts debt, imprisonment, service as a valet, and continued gambling.
Chapter 17
Mr. Astley reveals that Polina loves Alexis, but Alexis still looks to gambling for recovery.
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