Steerpike, despite his position of authority, is in reality a dangerous traitor to Gormenghast who seeks to eventually wield ultimate power in the castle.

Steerpike has effectively been holding them captive in a remote and abandoned part of the castle, and they are utterly dependent on him for food and drink.

The other teachers are a collection of misfits, each with idiosyncrasies of their own, who bicker and compete with each other in petty rivalries, being not unlike a bunch of overgrown schoolboys themselves.

A welcome humorous interlude in the novel occurs when Irma Prunesquallor (sister of the castle's doctor) decides to get married, and throws a party in the hope of meeting a suitable partner.

Due to the vigilance of the old servant Flay, Steerpike is eventually unmasked as the murderer of the aunts of Titus, Cora and Clarice.

He becomes a renegade within the castle, using his extensive knowledge to hide within its vast regions, and waging a guerrilla campaign of random killing with his catapult.

Fuchsia, grown increasingly melancholic and withdrawn after the death of her father and betrayal by Steerpike, briefly contemplates suicide.

Unaware of the accident when they find her body, both Countess Gertrude and Titus are convinced that Steerpike is to blame, and both resolve to bring the murderer to justice.

However, Titus realises that he is hiding in the ivy against the castle walls, and full of rage and hatred against Steerpike he pursues and kills him himself.

Despite being hailed as a hero, Titus is intent on leaving Gormenghast to explore a wider world, and the novel ends with him dramatically riding away to seek his fortune in the unknown lands outside.

He is killed whilst organising the search for Titus when the Fly slips and accidentally tips him out of his high chair onto his head.

Only known as "The Leader", this ancient bearded character proposes a philosophy where everything in this world is an illusion – even including sensations such as pain.

He is forcibly brought into reality and subsequently dies, when his long white beard is set alight by a young man during an argument.

Gormenghast has been the subject of many adaptations, including film, live theatre, radio performances, television serials, and an opera.