47 pages 1 hour read

Lemony Snicket

The Reptile Room

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1999

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Chapters 9-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary

Violet points out that the children won’t be able to convince the adults that Stephano is really Count Olaf, or that Uncle Monty was murdered by Count Olaf and not killed by a snake, without actual “proof” and “evidence.” Violet tells Klaus to stay in the Reptile Room and research the snake that allegedly killed Uncle Monty. She instructs Sunny to guard the door, telling them she plans to search Stephano’s bedroom for clues. Violet first pauses by the kitchen, eavesdropping to make sure the adults are still distracted by their debate about transportation. She then sneaks upstairs to find that Stephano’s bedroom is disgusting, typical of Count Olaf, but devoid of any useful evidence.

After eavesdropping once more, realizing the adults are close to a resolution, Violet returns to the Reptile Room. Fortunately, Klaus has learned from a book that the Mamba du Mal, while poisonous and deadly, strangles its prey as well as biting it. This type of attack leaves the corpses bruised all over, not pale. Klaus reminds Violet that Uncle Monty kept snake venom to study in test tubes and suggests that Stephano injected it into Uncle Monty.

Mr. Poe arrives and announces they’ve decided that Mr.