One of the most famous names in detective fiction, Philip Marlowe is tall, smart, tough, and sardonically cynical but fair-minded. Vivian calls him a “big dark handsome brute” (13), but Marlowe merely says, “I’m thirty-three years old, went to college once and can still speak English if there's any demand for it” (6). A former investigator for the local district attorney until he was fired for insubordination, Marlowe is now a private investigator who earns “twenty-five a day and expenses—when I'm lucky” (10). Marlowe’s name echoes that of Elizabethan era English playwright and crown spy Christopher Marlowe—a nod to the character’s poetic sensibilities and his witty, colorful, and often profound way with words.

Relentless in his commitment to solving every aspect of his investigations, Marlowe keeps digging through the blackmail against Carmen Sternwood until he discovers her role in the death of Rusty Regan. His uncompromising approach often alienates others, including his own clients; however, although he claims that he’d rather be poor than corrupt, because the rich are often the ones who hire him, Marlowe frequently ends up doing their more far-reaching dirty work. He sees himself as searching for truth in a dishonest world; sadly, the only honesty he usually finds is his own.