In Volume V, Clarissa’s writing and identity is filtered through Lovelace, and more of Lovelace’s writing and his identity (or lack thereof) is revealed. Debra noted in response to Letter 222, “That [Belford] can stop being a rake and start being a decent person suggests that the rake language and identity is a kind of social mask or performance.” As Lovelace has revealed his love of performance, he may be able to stop being a rake if he is forced to grow up and be an adult, i.e. a married man. As a writer, Lovelace’s talents really shine in this volume, particularly in, Letter 214, which was written like a scene for a play. His wit also appears in Letter 234, when he asks Belford, “Yet what can be expected of an angel under twenty?” referring to Clarissa’s inability to cover her tracks in her escape from him. Meghan also pointed out Lovelace’s power in his writing by noting that he wants “her to be just cautious enough so she doesn’t fall for the traps set for her by other people, not so cautious that she doesn’t fall for [his].” So Lovelace wants Clarissa to be smart enough to escape from others but not smart enough to see through his plans and ruses. He does not see Clarissa as an equal to himself.

In Letter 231, Lovelace discovers Clarissa’s location after she has escaped him and he writes of what punishments she should receive. He also rather poignantly points out that Clarissa “never was in a state of independency; nor is it fit a woman should, of any age, or in any state of life.” In his mind, Lovelace should be the one that Clarissa relies on, whether she wants to or not. Jessica noted in her response to Letter 231, that Lovelace continually denies Clarissa’s human pain and suffering, and that he “wants her completely ‘ruined’ in the sense that she stops thinking of escape and is completely dependent on him.”

Volume V also highlights two important moments in Clarissa’s writing: 1) when she questions her feelings for Lovelace, and 2) when she escapes from him after seeing him for the villain that he is. In Letter 212, Clarissa finds that Lovelace is ill and she questions her tender feelings for him&emdash;as well as making the point that she is “afraid to look back upon what [she] has written.” Keri suggested Clarissa doesn’t want to reread her letter because she “clearly recognizes her confusion about Lovelace.” In Letter 230, Clarissa writes to Anna after her escape and exclaims “the villain reveals himself!” Meghan theorized that Clarissa may be describing Lovelace as a “devil incarnate” “because it gives her the strength she needs to leave him.” Steve also pointed out in this letter that “Richardson is deepening the dichotomies between Clarissa and Lovelace.” Throughout the novel, Lovelace is associated with terms that refer to him as a devil while Clarissa is associated with terms that refer to her as an angel or as virtuous. What becomes clear in this volume, and through the dichotomy between the two characters, is that Lovelace is not a redeemable villain and Clarissa is the mistreated and threatened heroine.