Franklin is the person responsible for putting together all of the narratives that make up the novel. In a sense, he's like the fictional editor of The Moonstone. He's also the closest this novel comes to a romantic hero. After all, he's the guy who eventually gets the girl. He is described by each of the narrators in some detail, and he contributes a narrative from his own point of view. And yet he's a very hard character to pin down.