Plot Summary:
Arrival at 667 Dark Avenue
The Baudelaire orphans—Violet, Klaus, and Sunny—are brought by the perpetually coughing banker, Mr. Poe, to their new home at 667 Dark Avenue. The street is shrouded in perpetual gloom by enormous, light-blocking trees. Their new guardians, the Squalors, live in the penthouse of a towering apartment building. Upon entering, they are informed by the doorman that darkness is currently “in,” meaning stylish, while light is “out.” Similarly, elevators are “out,” forcing the exhausted children to climb an impossibly long, candlelit staircase of sixty-six flights to reach their new home. Mr. Poe, in a rush to join a helicopter search for the kidnapped Quagmire triplets, leaves them to make the arduous journey alone.
Meeting the Squalors
At the top, they meet Jerome Squalor, a kind but timid man who offers them “aqueous martinis” (water with an olive) because they are “in.” He is soon joined by his wife, Esmé Gigi Geniveve Squalor, the city’s sixth most important financial advisor. Esmé is a domineering woman completely obsessed with social trends. She is thrilled to have the Baudelaires because orphans are currently “in,” and she believes they will make her friends jealous. The penthouse is enormous, with seventy-one bedrooms and countless other rooms, but it is kept dark until Esmé receives a phone call announcing that light is now “in.” From their window, the children can see the entire city, including the ashy remains of their former home.
A Life of Ersatz Luxury
Life with the Squalors proves to be a “mixed bag.” Jerome is pleasant and tries to make them comfortable, but Esmé is distant and cares only about appearances. The penthouse is so vast that the children often get lost. The amenities promised are hollow: Violet’s room has a workbench but no tools (they’re “out”), Klaus’s library is filled only with useless books about historical fads, and Sunny’s room contains only soft, unbiteable toys. Most distressingly, the Squalors refuse to help in the search for the Quagmire triplets. Jerome is too afraid of arguing with Esmé, who finds the topic “boring.”
Gunther’s Sinister Arrival
Esmé announces she is organizing the annual “In Auction,” where only the trendiest items are sold. The auctioneer, a man named Gunther, is scheduled to visit. Before he arrives, Esmé presents the children with gifts: pinstripe suits, which are currently “in.” The suits are absurdly oversized. As the children struggle with their new clothes, they are confronted by Gunther. He is unmistakably Count Olaf in a flimsy disguise: a pinstripe suit, riding boots to cover his ankle tattoo, and a monocle that forces him to scrunch up his face, hiding his single eyebrow. He speaks with a fake foreign accent, peppering his sentences with “please.” The children are frozen with the element of surprise.
A Guardian’s Betrayal
When Jerome and Esmé appear, the Baudelaires frantically try to expose Gunther as Count Olaf. Esmé, however, dismisses their claims, insisting Gunther is the “innest” auctioneer in the world. Jerome, though hesitant, is too afraid to confront his wife. Esmé demands the children call Olaf “Gunther” and sends them to dinner at Café Salmonella with Jerome, leaving her alone to plan the auction with the villain. At dinner, Jerome refuses to discuss the matter further, calling the children “xenophobes” for being suspicious of a foreigner and admitting his deep aversion to any form of argument.
The Mystery of the Ersatz Elevator
They return to find that the doorman is certain Gunther never left the building, while Esmé is equally certain he left the penthouse. This contradiction baffles the children. The next day, while searching the massive apartment for Olaf, Klaus has a revelation. He notices that while every other floor has one set of elevator doors, the penthouse has two. He deduces that one set of doors must conceal something else entirely—an “ersatz” elevator. Pressing the “Up” button on the second set of doors (an illogical button for the top floor), they confirm his theory: the doors slide open to reveal a pitch-black, empty elevator shaft.
A Perilous Descent and a Shocking Discovery
Believing this is Olaf’s hiding place, the Baudelaires fashion a makeshift rope from extension cords, curtain pulls, and Jerome’s neckties. They tie it to the doorknob and begin a terrifying climb down into the utter darkness. At the bottom of the shaft, they find a small, filthy room containing a rusty metal cage. Inside are their friends, Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. The triplets are terrified and malnourished but overjoyed to see them. They reveal that Olaf, as Gunther, plans to smuggle them out of the city by hiding them in an item at the In Auction. They also possess notebooks filled with secrets about Olaf and the mysterious V.F.D., but there is no time to share them.
A Failed Rescue and a New Clue
Violet devises a plan to weld the cage bars open. The Baudelaires climb all the way back up to the penthouse. In one of the kitchens, they heat three iron fire tongs in an oven until they are white-hot, creating makeshift welding torches. They make the treacherous climb back down the shaft, only to find the cage empty. The Quagmires are gone. Heartbroken but resolute, they climb back up once more. With the auction set to begin in minutes, Klaus consults the auction catalog that Gunther left behind. He quickly scans the lots until he reaches Lot #50. The description is only three letters: V.F.D. Convinced this is where Olaf will hide their friends, they rush to find Esmé.
The Plunge into Darkness
The Baudelaires explain everything to Esmé: Gunther is Olaf, the ersatz elevator is a secret passage, and the Quagmires are to be smuggled away in Lot #50. Esmé listens with disconcerting calmness. Then, revealing her part in the plot, she declares that Olaf is her former acting teacher and a “genius.” With a wicked smile, she pushes all three children into the empty elevator shaft.
The Escape from 667
The children’s fall is broken by a net that had been strung across the shaft. Trapped halfway down, they realize the full extent of Esmé’s treachery. With no other option, Sunny uses her incredibly sharp teeth to climb the rough interior wall of the shaft. She reaches the top, retrieves their ersatz rope, and throws it down. Instead of climbing up to the penthouse where the doorman (now revealed as one of Olaf’s associates) would stop them, they decide to climb down to the bottom of the shaft. They find a dark hallway leading away from the cage and follow it. The tunnel takes them under the city streets until it ends at a locked trapdoor. Using the cooled fire tongs as crowbars, they pry it open and emerge into the sunlight, finding themselves standing in the ashy ruins of their own home.
The Climax at the In Auction
They race to Veblen Hall, where the In Auction is in full swing. They find Jerome and Mr. Poe, but neither will believe their frantic warnings. Their only hope is to acquire Lot #50 themselves. Klaus convinces a reluctant Jerome to bid for them. The bidding escalates against another man in sunglasses. When Jerome gives up, Sunny saves the day by shrieking a bid of “Thousand!” Olaf, too greedy to question a baby’s finances, accepts. The children rush the stage and tear open the V.F.D. box. Inside, they find not the Quagmires, but a pile of Very Fancy Doilies. The box was a red herring.
In the ensuing chaos, Olaf trips on a doily. His boots fly off, revealing the tattoo of an eye on his ankle. He is exposed. He and Esmé, along with the doorman (revealed to be the hook-handed man), make a run for it. The pursuing crowd slips and falls on the scattered doilies, allowing the villains to escape in a pickup truck. As they drive off, the children see the true hiding place: the giant statue of a red herring from Lot #48, which the hook-handed man had “purchased.” They can only watch in horror as Olaf disappears with their friends.
Alone Again
In the aftermath, Jerome, too cowardly to pursue Olaf or protect the Baudelaires from such danger, relinquishes his guardianship. He tells them good luck and walks away. Mr. Poe is uselessly trying to call the police. The Baudelaire orphans are left standing on the steps of Veblen Hall, once again alone, but determined to rescue the Quagmires and finally uncover the truth behind V.F.D.
Characters
Violet Baudelaire
The eldest Baudelaire, Violet is a brilliant inventor. Her resourcefulness is critical to the children’s survival. She devises the makeshift rope to explore the shaft, invents welding torches from household items in a desperate rescue attempt, and figures out how to use the tongs as crowbars to escape the underground tunnel. Violet is the group’s leader, combining practical ingenuity with a fierce, protective love for her siblings.
Klaus Baudelaire
The middle child and the family’s primary researcher. Klaus’s intellectual curiosity and sharp memory are his greatest assets. He is the one who logically deduces the existence of the “ersatz” elevator, providing their first real lead. His quick thinking at the auction—convincing Jerome to bid on Lot #50—is their last, albeit unsuccessful, attempt to save the Quagmires. Klaus represents the power of knowledge in the face of deception.
Sunny Baudelaire
The youngest Baudelaire, Sunny communicates in short, often single-word statements that only her siblings can understand. Her primary skill is her four unusually sharp teeth. This ability proves to be the key to their escape from the net in the elevator shaft, as she heroically climbs the entire wall using her teeth as holds. Her small size belies her immense courage and surprising cunning, as shown when she makes the winning bid at the auction.
Count Olaf (as Gunther)
The relentless villain of the series, Olaf appears here disguised as Gunther, a fashionable auctioneer with a fake accent. The disguise is transparent to the children but fools the trend-obsessed adults around them. His plan in this book is twofold: to use Esmé’s social standing to get close to the Baudelaires and to simultaneously orchestrate the smuggling of the Quagmire triplets out of the city. He is cruel, greedy, and chillingly effective at manipulating weak-willed adults.
Esmé Squalor
The Baudelaires’ new guardian and the story’s secondary antagonist. Esmé is a slave to fashion, and her entire moral compass is dictated by what is “in” or “out.” Initially, she seems merely vain and self-absorbed, but she is revealed to be a willing and enthusiastic accomplice of Count Olaf. Her betrayal—pushing the children into the elevator shaft—is one of the most shocking and cruel acts committed by a guardian in the series. She represents the moral void of superficiality and greed.
Jerome Squalor
Esmé’s husband and the kinder of the two guardians. Jerome genuinely cares for the Baudelaires and reminisces fondly about their mother. However, he is defined by his crippling fear of conflict. He refuses to argue with Esmé or confront Gunther, even when he senses something is wrong. In the end, his cowardice makes him just as useless as a protector as Esmé is malicious. He abandons the children rather than face the dangers associated with helping them, embodying the failure of well-meaning but weak individuals.
Duncan and Isadora Quagmire
The captive triplets (though only two appear) who serve as the central motivation for the Baudelaires’ quest. They are intelligent and brave, a reflection of the Baudelaires themselves. Duncan is a journalist and Isadora a poet, and their notebooks contain crucial information about Olaf’s plans and the secret of V.F.D. Their plight drives the narrative forward and deepens the Baudelaires’ resolve.
Core Themes
Deception and the Unreliability of Appearances
The word “ersatz,” meaning a substitute or imitation, is central to the book. The elevator is ersatz, the martinis are ersatz, Gunther is an ersatz foreigner, and the Squalors are ersatz guardians. This theme underscores the idea that things are rarely what they seem. Adults are consistently fooled by flimsy disguises and social status, while the children see the grim reality underneath the fashionable facade. The entire world of 667 Dark Avenue is built on a foundation of superficiality and deceit.
The Failure of Adult Authority
As in other books in the series, the adults are profoundly and dangerously incompetent. Mr. Poe is negligent, Jerome is cowardly, and Esmé is malicious. Not a single adult acts as a responsible protector. This theme forces the children into a position of self-reliance, where they must use their own unique skills—inventing, researching, and biting—to navigate a hostile world where the supposed guardians are either useless or actively trying to harm them.
Superficiality and Materialism
Esmé Squalor’s obsession with what’s “in” and “out” serves as a biting satire of high society’s fickle and meaningless trends. Her morality is entirely dictated by fashion; she adopts orphans because they’re “in” and abandons them when they become a “spectacle.” The “In Auction” itself is a monument to this theme, a place where useless items are sold for exorbitant prices simply because they are deemed fashionable. This critique suggests that a life built on superficial trends is devoid of real substance, loyalty, or kindness.
The Contrast Between Home and Housing
The Baudelaires are moved into a luxurious penthouse, a seventy-one-bedroom apartment that is the epitome of wealth. Yet, it is not a home. It is a cold, impersonal, and dangerous space. In a moment of powerful symbolism, the secret passage from this ersatz home leads them directly to the ruins of their true home—the Baudelaire mansion. This juxtaposition highlights the difference between mere housing and the safety, love, and identity associated with a real home, a place the orphans have tragically lost and cannot seem to find again.
Plot Devices
Dramatic Irony
The reader and the Baudelaire children are aware from the moment Gunther appears that he is Count Olaf. The tension in the first half of the book is built on this irony, as we watch the children’s desperate, failed attempts to convince the oblivious and stubborn adults of the truth. This device emphasizes the children’s isolation and the frustrating incompetence of their guardians.
The Red Herring
This literary device is used in a brilliantly literal and figurative way. The V.F.D. box of doilies serves as a figurative red herring, a misleading clue planted by Olaf to distract the children from his real plan. The true hiding place for the Quagmires is Lot #48, a giant statue of a literal red herring. This clever, multi-layered use of the device is central to the auction’s climax and Olaf’s successful escape.
Symbolism
The book is rich with symbolic elements.
* The Ersatz Elevator: This is the book’s central symbol, representing the hidden darkness and deception that lies just beneath the surface of the Squalors’ fashionable world. It is a secret passage to a terrible truth.
* Darkness and Light: The initial trend of darkness being “in” physically manifests the moral decay and ignorance of the building’s residents. The shift to light being “in” does not bring enlightenment, proving that the residents’ morality is as superficial as their decorating choices.
* The Ruins of the Baudelaire Mansion: The secret passage leading directly to their destroyed home symbolizes the inescapable connection between the orphans’ current misfortunes and the original tragedy of the fire. It suggests that the answers they seek about V.F.D. and their parents are tied to the place where their misery began.
