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* IdiotHero: Openly admits her ability to think logically is "not the best," and she often gets tricked and manipulated by the people around her. Justified, as she literally has the brain of an infant, and over time she grows to be as intelligent as her creator.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: She doesn't understand basic etiquette and constantly embarrasses Duncan with her unintentionally rude comments, such as blithely commenting on Martha's lack of a sex life and discussing a bordello client's ugliness right in front of him.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Qualifies as a particularly twisted variation on this trope, as both Max and Duncan fall in love with her while she is mentally a child. [[spoiler:Once she matures into an "adult", Duncan loses interest due to her newfound intellect whereas Max's desire to marry her increases significantly.]]
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Bella is more or less a manic pixie for Duncan, but [[spoiler:his carefree lifestyle and attitude are utterly broken by the time she realizes she's too good for him, and he's driven crazy by her to the point of being committed to an asylum. Given how he behaves, he probably deserves it.]]
* TheKindnapper: He manages to get Bella onto the ship by means of putting her in a box.
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* SexGod: He claims to be the best lay Bella will ever have. During her stint as a prostitute, Bella muses that this wasn't so unfounded a claim, despite all of Duncan's other flaws.
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* SexGod: He claims to be the best lay Bella will ever have. During her stint as a prostitute, Bella muses For all that this wasn't so unfounded a claim, despite all he's an insufferable, chauvinistic, cowardly cad, Duncan is ''great'' in bed. Part of Duncan's other flaws.Bella's character development is realizing that no matter how good he is at [[UnusualEuphemism furious jumping and making happiness for Bella]], he's simply not operating on her level and doesn't deserve her time.
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* TheCatCameBack: He tries to get back with Bella in Paris even after wanting to split up from her and telling her harshly off after she gets them stranded in the city. Then, when Bella gets back home [[spoiler:he comes back one more time to try and ruin her happiness by bringing Alfie with him.]]
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* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Godwin notes that the contract Duncan drew up contains several spelling errors, something Duncan brushes off without embarrassment, showing that Duncan is foolish and irresponsible.
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* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Godwin notes that the contract Duncan drew up contains several spelling errors, something Duncan brushes off without embarrassment, showing that Duncan is foolish and irresponsible. After Duncan goes off to see Bella under [[BathroomSearchExcuse the guise of needing to use the bathroom]], he ends up tripping while going up the stairs, establishing that he is going to be subject to quite a bit of humiliation.
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* AmbiguouslyBi: When visited by Max McCandles, Bella's fiancé, in the poorhouse, Duncan vows to "save him from her" before attempting to either kiss Max, lick his face, or both.
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* AmbiguouslyBi: When visited by Max McCandles, [=McCandles=], Bella's fiancé, in the poorhouse, Duncan vows to "save him from her" before attempting to either kiss Max, lick his face, or both.
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* AmbiguouslyBi: When visited by Max McCandles, Bella's fiancé, in the poorhouse, Duncan vows to "save him from her" before attempting to either kiss Max, lick his face, or both.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poorthings_alfie.png]]
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* MaritalRapeLicense: Implicitly practiced one with Victoria ([[AmbiguousSituation should we chose to believe he's lying about Victoria's moral character]], if got to the point she chose to kill herself with her unborn child rather than live with Alfie), and he makes it he has no regard for Bella's consent when he decides to father a new heir.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Downplayed. Alfie's presence ij the film is foreshadowed early on in the form of the unanswered question of ''why'' Victoria was DrivenToSuicide, and he serves as Victoria's final obstacle before her happy ending, but he only appears in the final thirty minutes of the movie when every other loose end has been wrapped up. In the end, Victoria admits he was just "a part of someone else's story."
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Downplayed. Alfie's presence ij the film is foreshadowed early on in the form of the unanswered question of ''why'' Victoria was DrivenToSuicide, and he serves as Victoria's final obstacle before her happy ending, but he only appears in the final thirty minutes of the movie when every other loose end has been wrapped up. In the end, Victoria admits he was just "a part of someone else's story."
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* MaritalRapeLicense: Implicitly practiced one with Victoria ([[AmbiguousSituation should we chose to believe he's lying about Victoria's moral character]], if it got to the point she chose to kill herself with her unborn child rather than live with Alfie), and he makes it he has no regard for Bella's consent when he decides to father a new heir.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Downplayed. Alfie's presenceij in the film is foreshadowed early on in the form of the unanswered question of ''why'' Victoria was DrivenToSuicide, and he serves as Victoria's final obstacle before her happy ending, but he only appears in the final thirty minutes of the movie when every other loose end has been wrapped up. In the end, Victoria admits he was just "a part of someone else's story."
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Downplayed. Alfie's presence
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** Even though his relationship with Bella was just an affair that would only last a couple of months before he left her (at least initially), he is upset that Bella also considered it an affair, and that she does not plan to cancel her engagement to Max to marry him.
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** Even though his relationship with Bella was just an affair that would only last a couple of months before he left her (at least initially), he is upset that Bella also considered it an affair, and that she does not plan to cancel her engagement to Max to marry him. He [[HypocrisyNod actually acknowledges himself]] that he's become a "succubus of a lover" [[YouAreWhatYouHate despite being annoyed at them prior]], but it's not enough for him to actually change his behavior.
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* BadBoss: He takes great cheer in tormenting his servants, such as by calling in a maid to bring in hot soup and then startling her so she spills the soup over herself. Tellingly, the first thing he tells Bella upon arriving at the estate is that he "fears an uprising." In addition, there is strong implication that in his career as a General he was a sadist to his men.
* BeyondRedemption: For all her idealism and unwavering belief that people can be improved and healed of certain negative "aspects," Alfie's gratuitous cruelty proves too much for her. So she "improves" him by swapping his brain for a goat's, and everyone is better off.
* BeyondRedemption: For all her idealism and unwavering belief that people can be improved and healed of certain negative "aspects," Alfie's gratuitous cruelty proves too much for her. So she "improves" him by swapping his brain for a goat's, and everyone is better off.
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* MeanBoss: He takes great cheer in tormenting his servants, such as by calling in a maid to bring in hot soup and then startling her so she spills the soup over herself. Tellingly, the first thing he tells Bella upon arriving at the estate is that he "fears an uprising." In addition, there is strong implication that in his career as a General he was a sadist to his men.
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* MeanBoss: He takes great cheer PlotIrrelevantVillain: Downplayed. Alfie's presence ij the film is foreshadowed early on in tormenting his servants, such as by calling in a maid to bring in hot soup the form of the unanswered question of ''why'' Victoria was DrivenToSuicide, and then startling he serves as Victoria's final obstacle before her so she spills happy ending, but he only appears in the soup over herself. Tellingly, final thirty minutes of the first thing he tells Bella upon arriving at movie when every other loose end has been wrapped up. In the estate is that he "fears an uprising." In addition, there is strong implication that in his career as a General end, Victoria admits he was a sadist to his men.just "a part of someone else's story."
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* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: What he eventually devolves into. Duncan's attempts at genuine villainy are extremely non-threatening. He meekly backs down after threatening to throw Bella off a boat, gets his ass completely kicked when he genuinely does try and throw CoolOldLady Martha off as well, and isn't even taken seriously by [[ExtremeDoormat Max]]. The only real damage he does is paving the way for the story's ''real'' villain, Alfie Blessington, at which point Duncan vanishes from the plot.
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* MaritalRapeLicense: Evidently practiced one with Victoria, to the point she chose to kill herself with her unborn child rather than live with Alfie, and he makes it clear he has no regard for Bella's consent when he decides to father a new heir.
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* MaritalRapeLicense: Evidently Implicitly practiced one with Victoria, Victoria ([[AmbiguousSituation should we chose to believe he's lying about Victoria's moral character]], if got to the point she chose to kill herself with her unborn child rather than live with Alfie, Alfie), and he makes it clear he has no regard for Bella's consent when he decides to father a new heir.
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* MaritalRapeLicense: Evidently practiced one with Victoria, to the point she chose to kill herself with her unborn child rather than live with Alfie, and he makes it clear he has no regard for Bella's consent when he decides to father a new heir.
