Character Analysis
Much like the prostitute, we don’t know much about the lackey, and he really doesn’t matter. He’s there as a part of the plot and so that he can deliver that killer last line to the prostitute in the hall. The perspective switch is an interesting one, and as a reader we feel a little at a loss when we're stuck in the hallway without our main character or even his supporting cast (that is, the Kellers). Now we’ll let you consider this: why does the lackey deliver the line about not speaking, instead of the narrator? The narrator could simply have stated, "They don’t speak," but instead we get that line in dialogue. What do you think of that?
The Lackey Timeline