Arthur Poe was a financial banker who was promoted to the position of Vice President in Charge of Orphan Affairs at Mulctuary Money Management before the events of The Bad Beginning. This fact is confirmed by Count Olaf near the end of The End. He is usually blatantly ignorant of Count Olaf's disguises, and he has never listened to the Baudelaire orphans (Violet, Klaus and Sunny) nor believed them when they were allowed to speak their minds. Mr. Poe continually believes that the children will be safe wherever they are ending up despite the fact that are always found by Olaf.