Bento Santiago is the first-person, unreliable narrator and protagonist of Dom Casmurro. In Bento’s adolescent years, the struggle for individuality against the predetermined path set by his mother becomes a defining theme. Bento grapples with these familial and societal expectations and yearns for freedom, wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with Capitú instead of entering the priesthood.

As Bento transitions into adulthood, a shift occurs in his orientation. The rebellious spirit of his childhood wanes as he undertakes the compromises and responsibilities of adulthood. Once the subject of his family’s aspirations, he transforms into the patriarch, embracing conventional life and succumbing to societal norms, including exerting control over his wife, Capitú. He spends many years closely intertwined with Escobar and Sancha, his closest friends, before Escobar’s sudden death shatters his domestic world.

Bento’s jealousy emerges as a driving force in his life, shaping his interactions with Capitú and forming one of the narrative’s main themes, The Torments of Jealousy. From youth to old age, jealousy colors his perceptions, leading to a distorted view of reality. His treatment of Capitú is marked by suspicion and unforgiving judgment, contrasting sharply with the leniency he grants himself over his own moral shortcomings.