V

V is a man who lives alone and wears a black cloak, hat, wig and mask all the time. The reader never sees who the man is under the mask. There are a few reasons V wears the costume. One is that he is so badly burned from an old accident that he does not want to show himself. Another reason, and an important one, is that V is a highly theatrical individual. He is well educated, whether formally or self-taught is not known, but he comes off as an intellectual. In Book 1, Chapter 1 where he makes his entry to save Evey from the Fingermen, the first words out of his mouth are from Shakespeare's Macbeth. He quotes from various literary works throughout the story.

Another reason for the costume, and one that relates to the end of the book, is that although he is a man, he...