History Main / HiredHelpAsFamily

* OldRetainer: The old servant who feels very loyal to their master and the family to whom they served and will likely care for them til their death; and if the master is a decent person, they will be grateful for the years of loyal service, they will ''treasure'' their old family's servant and if need be, they will take care of their well-being.

* ''Manga/FoodWars'': Hisako is Erina's personal aide and didn't see her as anything more than that--in fact, her primary motivation in cooking is to become Erina's worthy NumberTwo. However, she was defeated in the first round of the Autumn Festival, and her opponent points out that limiting herself in this capacity has deterred her skills. In despair, Hisako left Erina because she feels unworthy of being with Erina, until both Souma and Erina herself points out that she sees Hisako as not just an assistant, but a friend.
* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'': Hayasaka's family has a long running LegacyOfService with the the Shinomiya family, and she in particular is shown to have a close sisterly bond with Kaguya despite technically being her valet. Both of her parents are also implied to be surrogate parental figures for Kaguya (her father in particular is Kaguya's godfather).
* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': Satsuki's butler is treated as a personal friend of hers and the closet thing to a ParentalSubstitute she has considering [[spoiler: her mother is an utter tyrant siding with an parasitic alien life that's trying to take over Earth.]] Through the entirety of the series, he stays with her through thick and thin and both respect the other in kind. The fact his nephew likewise helps in her operations doesn't hurt either.
* Catarina from ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' has the PastLifeMemories of an ordinary Japanese {{Otaku}} and doesn't really consider herself to be nobility. As a result of this, she tends to treat everyone as if they were her social equal. This is most prominently seen with her personal maid Anne, who she views as somewhere between [[CoolBigSis an older sister and close friend]]. Her late grandfather is stated to have been the same way (minus the PastLifeMemories), and is established in a side story as having been best friends with the family's head gardener.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Setsuna was brought on as Konoka's bodyguard while they were young, but they quickly became good friends. However, when Konoka got into an accident and Setsuna was unable to save her, Setsuna decided that she couldn't properly protect her if she was treating her as an equal; Konoka, however, just wanted her friend back. Ultimately over the course of the manga they manage to regain their friendship [[spoiler:and eventually get married.]]

* ''Literature/{{Emma}}'': Miss Taylor was hired as a governess to work for the Woodhouse family after Emma and Isabella's mother died. The narrator says she has fallen 'little short of a mother in affection' and that she was less a governess than a friend. She's like another beloved daughter to Mr Woodhouse and something between a sister, mother and close friend to Emma.

* ''Literature/SpinningSilver'': Irina's OldRetainer Magreta is also her ParentalSubstitute who raised her from infancy, since her father the Duke has little interest in her. They care deeply for each other and each risks her life to protect the other at some point.

** Lord Grantham hired John Bates as his valet even if he wasn't quite fit to fulfil all of his duties because Bates didn't have any other place to go. He served under Lord Grantham in the Boer War as his batman, i.e. his military valet/gofer/bodyguard.
** Lady Sybil is a socialist at heart and she develops two meaningful relationship among the staff: she befriends Gwen the maid and helps her land her dream job, and she befriends and falls in love with their chauffeur Tom Branson. She also wants to work as a nurse during war years, and she kindly asks the kitchen staff to teach her cook and take care of herself a bit, so that she doesn't look completely hopeless during the training.

* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': Despite his snark and the occasionally tiffs considering salary, Geffory is considered as much as family to the Banks family and has helped him, so much so in two cases where he quit, the family goes out of their way to get him back. He in turn has helped them without having to be ordered, offering advice and aid where needed. By the series finale, they're more then sadden to have to part with him (he having decided to move back to London to be with his son) to which Hillary gives him a portrait of her with a sound clip calling for him and, in a final gesture, he helps Hillary load up her bags in the car despite her joking about needing his help.

*** Hodor is a kindhearted simpleton who has served his whole life to the Starks and is extremely loyal. Despite his simple mind, he's one of the most trustworthy person taking care of the young Starks. The elder generation -- Lord Eddard Stark -- was shown to appreciate him and thinking of him as their peer, though Hodor's nan disapproved and told the noble siblings that he's no lord.

*** Arya, the younger daughter, absolutely hero-worships her 'dancing master' Syrio Forel, a sword master hired to teach her fight properly. He gives up his life protecting her, and she swears revenge on his killers.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Paris is a prep-school trust-fund kid who has a much closer relationship with her childhood nanny than with either of her parents. When she graduates from high school, neither of her parents attend the ceremony but the nanny does with a bunch of her grandchildren. Paris is often harsh and annoying but she is very nice to her nanny and the kids.
* ''Series/GreenAcres'': Eb Dawson begins to refer to the Douglases as his parents not long after they hire him as a farmhand. Lisa also seems to think of him as their son, and, although he insists Eb isn't their son, Oliver is willing to do things like send him to college.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Princess Kitana was raised alongside fellow Edenian Jade, who became her bodyguard, devoted follower, and best friend. In reality, however, Jade had been secretly trained as a child to spy on Kitana, prevent her from snooping where Khan doesn't want her to, and also eliminate her if necessary. However, the two became as close as sisters during these years, so that when Jade [[ConflictingLoyalty has to choose between loyalty to her friend or to her Emperor]], Jade chooses her friend without hestiation. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', Kitana even tells Jade that she considers her more of a sister than [[EvilKnockoff Mileena]], and the feeling is quite mutual.
* In ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryTidesOfDestiny,'' Maerwen the dark elf maid is seen this way by the Saint-Coquille family who employs her. It's why they keep her around [[ImpoverishedPatrician despite the fact that their fortune has dried up]] and paying her is a significant financial strain--they love her too much to let her go. For her part, Maerwen doesn't quite understand their attachment, but is grateful to them nonetheless.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': Brock Samson gradually becomes close to his charges Rusty, Hank and Dean over the course of the series. At the start, he's pretty stoic and really only comes to their aid just because it's his job and seems more annoyed by the fact he's essentially on "babysitting duty" which he considered way below the caliber of his skills. He slowly warms up to the family that Rusty and he even reminisce fondly about their past adventures and often argue LikeAnOldMarriedCouple. He has threatened a few foes not to mess with the family for any malicious reason unless it's just part of the arching job. When he quit, he still continued to watch the family incognito while working for another organization, he offers advice to the boys on occasion, and even when he's offered reassignment, he actually ''refused'' because he considered the Ventures family by that point. The family in turn has likewise recuperated; the boys more then Rusty but even he has gradually came around to seeing Brock more then just hired help.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Setsuna was brought on as Konoka's bodyguard while they were young, but they quickly became good friends. However, when Konoka got into an accident and Setsuna was unable to save her, Setsuna decided that she couldn't properly protect her if she was treating her as an equal; Konoka, however, just wanted her friend back. Ultimately over the course of the manga they manage to regain their friendship [[spoiler:and eventually get married.]]

* ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'': Edwin Jarvis, the butler of the [[Comicbook/IronMan Stark]] family, is treated with a great respect by the Avengers. Tony Stark personally treats him like a close friend and almost like a family member.

* In ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryTidesOfDestiny,'' Maerwen the dark elf maid is seen this way by the Saint-Coquille family who employs her. It's why they keep her around [[ImpovrishedPatrician despite the fact that their fortune has dried up]] and paying her is a significant financial strain--they love her too much to let her go. For her part, Maerwen doesn't quite understand their attachment, but is grateful to them nonetheless.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': Empress Celene was raised alongside her [[EnslavedElves elven servant]], Brialla since the two were children. Despite Celene being a spoiled, entitled brat who saw Elves as lower-class, she developed a RaceFetish for Briala and the two of them became secret lovers. Although Celene would swiftly cast Briala aside if it appeared someone was catching on and mistreated Briala with all manner of DomesticAbuse, the two of them maintained this relationship until Celene ordered the slaughter of 3,000 Elven citizens to put down a minor rebellion simply to prove that she is not "soft on Elves" as her dissenters rumor. This event causes Briala and Celene to be bitter enemies in ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'', which the player can exploit in numerous ways to have one defeat the other, both being crushed by a third party, or the two reconciling and resuming their relationship.

* Peko Pekoyama from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' was taken in by the Kuzuryu clan as a newborn and raised alongside the heir to the clan, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, as his personal hitman and bodyguard. The two of them care for each other a lot [[spoiler: [[BodyguardRomance and develop romantic feelings for each other]] but Peko sees herself as nothing more than a tool and Fuyuhiko could never properly communicate how much he cares about her as a personuntil it was too late.]]

The relationship between servant and master can take many forms in a work of fiction. It can be one of strict professionalism, where they are bound only by duties and wages but perfectly civil. It can be antagonistic, where the master sees the servant as a lower form of life, and the servant would love slip poison into the master's drink. This trope features a third possibility - the master and the servant have some kind of personal connection.

The likely aristocratic master can fire up a reader's imagination, being fabulously rich and otherwise privileged. The most likely common servant is more likely to draw the reader's sympathy, being a more "real" person to the reader with similar needs and feelings. If the servant dislikes the master, then the reader is more likely to side with the servant for this reason. To keep both sympathetic and still have them argue, they are presented as akin to family.

This can be a link between two adults, for example if a [[FireForgedFriends lord and his footman fought in a war together]] and now they consider the other to be [[BloodBrothers more like his brother than his actual brothers]]. Or perhaps a young aristocrat has known one of their family's servants since early childhood and thus views them as a kind of [[ParentalSubstitute surrogate parent]]. Or a young lady chooses her maid as her friend and confidante and eventually starts treating her like a sister.

The relationship between servant and master isn't easy to depict in fiction.

It often happens that the protagonist is an aristocrat, a princess or a young nobleman, or at least someone from the OldMoney. It's been argued that it's better for our imagination: Aristocrats, fabulously rich and otherwise privileged people simply ignite our interest more than mere commoners. Privileged people usually hire people to attend to their needs and to do their chores for them. Obviously, servants are people, too -- and the audiences tend to think of fictional characters as real people with needs and feelings. Nowadays, readers are likely to sympathise with the hired help more than with their masters and the elite. Even the word ''master'' and ''servant'' can tick somebody off.

So if servants ''dislike'' their employers, readers or viewers will tend to side with the servants because of the 'Underdog Effect'. However, if the servants are happy and satisfied with their position, and more importantly, if they like or even love their master or their charge, readers will like the master and everyone from the privileged family even more. This trope aims to paint both sides in a very sympathetic light.

One way to get around this trope is to establish that the master and the servant have some kind of personal connection. This can be a link between two adults, for example if a [[FireForgedFriends lord and his footman fought in a war together]]. Or perhaps a young aristocrat has known one of their family's servants since early childhood and thus views them as a kind of [[ParentalSubstitute surrogate parent]]. Or a young lady chooses her maid as her friend and confidante and eventually starts treating her like a sister.

However, other nobles, especially snobs, might sneer at their choice of companions, or consider their overly intimate relationships with their employees unprofessional.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': Brock Samson gradually becomes this over the course of the series to Rusty, Hank and Dean. At the start, he pretty stoic and really only comes to their aid just because it's his job and seems more annoyed by the fact he's essentially on "babysitting duty" which he considered way below the caliber of his skills. However as the show goes on, he slowly warms up to the family that Rusty and he even reminisce fondly about their past adventures and often argue LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, has threaten a few foes not to mess with the family for any malicious reason unless it's just part of the arching job, when he quit, still continued to watch the family incognito while working for another organization, offers advice to the boys on occasion, and even when offer reassignment, actually ''refused'' because he considered the Ventures family by that point. The family in turn has likewise recuperated; the boys more then Rusty but even he has gradually came around to seeing Brock more then just hired help.

* In ''LightNovel/VioletEvergarden'', Princess Charlotte is very attached to her elderly lady-in-waiting Alberta, because ever since Charlotte's mother died soon after giving birth to her, Alberta has been the sole maternal figure in her life.

* ''Manga/FoodWars'': Hisako is the personal aide to Erina and, at the start, really didn't see herself more then that, at best seeing herself as equal on her skill level when it came to cooking. However when she's beaten in a tournament and her opponent points out that limiting herself in this capacity has deterred her skills. She feels she's unworthy to be by her side. Souma and later Erina herself however point out that Erina wasn't looking at her as a servant but a very close friend. The fact that Erina was actually sadden when Hisako just left out of the blue without telling her was a testament of how close the two were and it's enough to get Hisako to g back to her following the Stagiaire week.

* ''Manga/FoodWars'': Hisako is the personal aide to Erina and, at the start, really didn't see herself more then that, at best seeing herself as equal on her skill level when it came to cooking. However when she's beaten in a tournament and her opponent points out that limiting herself in this capacity has deterred her skills. She feels she's unworthy to be by her side. Souma and later Erina herself however point out that Erina wasn't looking at her as a servant but a very close friend. The fact that Erina was actually sadden when Hisako just left out of the blue without telling her was a testament of how close the two were and it's enough to get Hisako to go back back to her following the Stagiaire week.

[[folder:Films -- Live-action]]

* ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'': Clara Peggotty is Mrs Copperfield's housekeeper and David's nurse. She is absolutely devoted and loyal to both of them. Peggotty never leaves the family even when David's young widowed mother marries Mr Murdstone, and the Murdstones want to get Peggotty out of the house. David is grateful for her friendship and devotion. (Peggotty is so loyal and self-sacrificing that she never seems to want anything of her own that she looks like a stereotype: the ideal of what a rich gentleman would want his servants to be, a model of a working-class woman in classist and class-segmented society).

* In ''Film/TheParentTrap1998'', Martin the family butler and Chessy the family nanny/maid are treated like family by their respective employers. It's really telling when Elizabeth, the twins' mother, kisses Chessy on the cheek after not seeing her for many years. While Meredith, Nick's young, opportunistic, gold-digging fiancee, treats Chessy as a servant who should be summoned with a bell.

!!Examples
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[[AC:Films - Live-action]]

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[[AC:Visual Novels and Light Novels]]

* In ''LightNovel/VioletEvergarden'', Princess Charlotte is very attached to her elderly lady-in-waiting Alberta, because ever since Charlotte's mother died soon after giving birth to her, Alberta has been the sole maternal figure in her life.

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[[AC:Western Animation]]

[[AC:Real Life]]

* In both ''WesternAnimation/DucktTales1987'' and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Mrs. Beakley is Scrooge's housekeeper and friend but doesn't quite qualify as family. Her granddaughter Webby, on the other hand, does. Scrooge treats her like his surrogate granddaughter or grandniece. He is about as close to her as he is to his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

* In both ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales1987'' and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Mrs. Beakley is Scrooge's housekeeper and friend but doesn't quite qualify as family. Her granddaughter Webby, on the other hand, does. Scrooge treats her like his surrogate granddaughter or grandniece. He is about as close to her as he is to his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

One way to get around this trope is to establish that the master and the servant have some kind of personal connection. This can be a link between two adults, for example if a [[FireForgedFriends lord and his footman fought in a war together]]. Or perhaps a young aristocrat has known one of their family's servants since early childhood and thus views them as a kind of surrogate parent. Or a young lady chooses her maid as her friend and confidante and eventually starts treating her like a sister.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': In most depictions, the Waynes' butler, Alfred Pennyworth, is treated as a beloved member of the family, to the degree that when [[DeathByOriginStory Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered]], Alfred takes their son Bruce under his custody and raises him like his own son. The feeling is ''quite'' mutual, with Alfred and Batman mourning each other as "my son" or "my father" when one believes the other has died.

* In both ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales1987'' and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Mrs. Beakley is Scrooges' housekeeper and friend but doesn't quite qualify as family. Her granddaughter Webby, on the other hand, does. Scrooge treats her like his surrogate granddaughter or grandniece. He is about as close to her as he is to his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

* In both ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales1987'' and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Mrs. Beakley is Scrooges' housekeeper and friend but doesn't quite qualify as family. Her granddaughter Webby, on the other hand, does. Scrooge treats her like his surrogate granddaughter or grand-niece. He is about as close to her as he is to his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

*** All the boys and tomboy Arya are shown to love and respect Ser Rodrik Cassel who taught them how to fight and use weapons. When Theon Greyjoy takes over their castle and wants to execute Rodrik, both youngest Stark boys have a major freak-out and pleads with Theon to spare him.