Pinkie Brown - The young, sociopathic leader of a gang in Brighton. He is Catholic but has no moral qualms about committing heinous acts like murder. Pinkie is described as having a "horribly thin body" and being "under-sized".

Ida Arnold - A kind-hearted but persistent woman who becomes an amateur detective investigating the murder of Fred Hale after he confides in her. Ida is agnostic and represents a moral counterpoint to the Catholic but evil Pinkie.

Rose - A naive young waitress who gets drawn into Pinkie's world after witnessing one of his crimes. Despite her devotion to Catholicism, she marries the violent Pinkie out of fear.

Fred Hale - A journalist who is murdered by Pinkie's gang after stumbling onto their criminal activities. His death sets the main events of the novel in motion.

Kite - The former leader of Pinkie's gang who is killed off-page before the novel begins, allowing the young Pinkie to take over.

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