Character Analysis
Septimus Leech is a glorious name, and we sort of suspect that Bradley Pearson came up with it himself. According to Bradley, Septimus Leech was the "friend" of Julian Baffin who bought the tickets to Der Rosenkavalier, and he's also the man Julian claims to be dating before Bradley confesses his love to her.
Since Septimus Leech is Bradley's rival in love—or so Bradley believed, anyway—it makes sense that his name would make him sound like a creepy bloodsucker. Seriously, folks, Iris Murdoch deserves some applause for the sheer perfection of it all.