In 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of the cruel headmaster at Lowood School?

The cruel headmaster at Lowood School in Jane Eyre is Mr. Brocklehurst. He is the clergyman, director, and treasurer of the institution where Jane is sent after leaving Gateshead.

Brocklehurst presents Lowood’s harsh conditions as religious discipline. The girls endure plain clothing, inadequate food, cold rooms, and strict rules, while he insists that humility and self-denial will improve their character. His public humiliation of Jane, whom he labels a liar, shows how authority can be used to damage a child’s reputation.

Charlotte Brontë makes Brocklehurst notably hypocritical. He demands extreme simplicity from the pupils but permits comfort and fashionable clothing for his own family. This contrast exposes the difference between genuine Christian charity and moral posturing. After an illness kills many students, Lowood’s management comes under scrutiny and conditions improve under more compassionate leadership.

Mr. Lloyd is not the headmaster: he is the kind apothecary who helps Jane leave Gateshead. St. John Rivers appears much later in Jane’s life, and Mr. Rochester is Jane’s employer and love interest at Thornfield Hall. Miss Temple, rather than Brocklehurst, represents Lowood’s humane influence.