Talk:Toby Esterhase

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Since John le Carré is known to have worked for MI6, it seems possible that the organizations and individuals portrayed in his novels are at least partially based on real counterparts, albeit in deniable and oblique ways. The origin of the term 'lamplighters' (the name of Toby Esterhase's operation), is never explored or explained as far as I can discover. There is however a real term which may be the one he was trying to disguise, gaslighting. Gaslighters attempt to undermine an individual and destroy their mental balance using a range of psychological attacks, which clearly must be facilitated by close and detailed surveillance of the individual (Le Carré does say that Esterhase's operation is involved in surveillance). Gaslighting would probably be particularly useful for running already stressed enemy agents to earth! /Plishman 03:00, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

I have a theory about Toby's change of accent: In TTSS, he is trying his best to sound English, though to a native speaker (me) he sounds forced and affected. In Smiley's People he is posing as an Italian art dealer (Signor Bernardi), and he retains his Sr. Bernardi accent throughout. Lucyrf (talk) 17:28, 18 March 2008 (UTC)