A free and dependent person who lives in a well-off family's house, not as a family member and without a wage, in exchange for shelter, food, and small services. In the book, José Dias is the dependent of Matacavalos: he arrived in Itaguaí selling himself as a doctor, accepted a house and meals instead of a salary, and, by being useful and flattering, became a voice heard in the family's decisions.
Where It Appears
- Chapters I to XII: The Accusation, the Opera, and the Promise
- Chapters XXIII to XXXIV: The Gypsy Eyes and the Eyes of Undertow
Quotes
She did not look me in the face, but furtively and fearfully, or, if you prefer the dependent's phrasing, obliquely and dissemblingly.
Chapters XXXV to XLI: The Apostolic Protonotary and the Secret Audience, the narrator