Klaus Baudelaire is the middle child in the Baudelaire family. He is described as a bookish twelve-year-old who is a genius when it comes to researching. He remembers virtually everything he reads, retaining information that helps the Baudelaires to escape from situations Count Olaf places them in. Because he is a voracious reader, Klaus also speaks a variety of languages and knows the definitions to many of the difficult words used through the series' narration. Brett Helquist's illustrations suggest that he has wavy brown hair and large, round glasses. Although Klaus is an excellent team player, working with his two sisters to overcome the various obstacles in their lives, he is the most pessimistic about the outcome of their conflicts.
Klaus, like the rest of the characters in Snicket's collection, is relatively two-dimensional. He does not undergo much character development and is the same character at the beginning of the series as she is in the end. This construction is typical in the Gothic, melodramatic style which focuses on plot rather than character. In this installment of the series, Klaus must serve the guests of Hotel Denouement while trying to uncover the true identity of the mysterious "J.S." and discover whether this person is helping V.F.D. or its enemies.
