Hodge, at the time City of Bones is set, is cursed to stay inside the New York Institute. If he steps outside of it, he will immediately be slain. This was (SPOILERS) handed down by the Clave as punishment for Hodge's part in the Uprising 15 years ago during the Accords. However, he surrendered and so he was not executed for his crimes - the worst of all; to take up arms against his fellow Shadowhunters.He is described as looking quite old and haggard, and this is only accentuated by the scar down the side of his face. He often has Hugo the bird perching on his shoulder (the shoulder crippled by an old battle scar). He wears tweed jackets and apparently wanted to eventually join the Silent Brothers as an archivist. But because of the curse and his part in the Uprising, this is not possible. He is very bitter and resentful of this, though he knows he was in the wrong. But he loves the Lightwood children Alec, Isabelle and Max, as well as Jace, as he has tutored them to be the great Shadowhunters they are today.