Titus Groan in particular Lord Sepulchrave's twin sisters, Cora and Clarice Groan. The sisters are not very bright and are power-hungry and resentful, believing that Countess Gertrude holds the position that they rightfully deserve. Steerpike manages to use the twins' ambition for his own ends. He promises them power and influence, and convinces them that they could achieve their goal by burning down Sepulchrave's beloved library. Steerpike prepares meticulously for the act of arson. He arranges for the burning to happen when the entire Groan family and their most important servants are inside the library for a family gathering (Steerpike intentionally failed
Mervyn Peake contract to depict various factory subjects and was also asked to submit a large painting showing RAF pilots being debriefed. Some of these paintings are on permanent display in Manchester Art Gallery whilst other examples are in the Imperial War Museum collection. The five years between 1943 and 1948 were some of the most productive of his career. He finished "Titus Groan" and "Gormenghast" and completed some of his most acclaimed illustrations for books by other authors, including Lewis Carroll's "Hunting of the Snark" (for which he was reportedly paid only £5) and "Alice in Wonderland", Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The