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Richard Papen

The narrator and protagonist of the novel. Richard is self-conscious about his lower-middle-class background and longs for a life of sophisticated beauty. He attempts to come off as more privileged than he is, and he is desperate to be accepted into the exclusive group of students in the ancient Greek class. Though Richard seems to detest anything superficial, he has a weakness for the beautiful and romantic and often does not look past appearances to what is on the inside. Richard spends much of the novel in love with Camilla, though he also seems to have feelings for Francis.

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Henry Winter

One of Richard’s classmates. Henry is extremely wealthy and proficient in several languages, writing his diary in Latin and often thinking or speaking in other languages. Though Henry at first seems standoffish and unapproachable, Richard is very impressed by Henry’s intellect and often idolizes him. Henry tends to live in ancient cultures more than in the modern world. He is extremely manipulative and, though he appears charming to Richard and his friends, seems odd to those who do not know him well. 

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Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran

One of Richard’s classmates. Bunny is from Connecticut, where his family comes from old money, though they are no longer wealthy. A subpar student, Bunny acts superior and pretends that he has plenty of money, but he relies on his rich friends such as Henry and Francis to pay for his lavish lifestyle. Bunny is extremely adept at homing in on someone’s deepest insecurity, and he uses this ability against his friends as they all crumble under the stress of having murdered the farmer. Bunny is also known to be extremely gluttonous, hypocritical, and intolerant toward people of varying sexualities and religions.

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Charles Macauley

One of Richard’s classmates and twin brother of Camilla Macauley. Charles is an extremely heavy drinker, and his drinking only intensifies after the murder of the farmer and then Bunny. Though Charles is often kind and caring, he becomes increasingly violent and manipulative toward Camilla and leads Francis on for his own benefit. Charles is largely forced to deal with the aftermath of Bunny’s death, which makes him paranoid and suspicious of Henry. In the end, Charles loses touch with the rest of the group, Camilla included.

Camilla Macauley

One of Richard’s classmates and Charles Macauley’s twin sister. Richard is in love with Camilla, though she leads him on while sleeping with Charles and pursuing a relationship with Henry. 

Francis Abernathy 

One of Richard’s classmates. Francis mostly hides his homosexuality, though he sleeps with Charles and tries to sleep with Richard. Francis admits that he is vulnerable to Charles’s charms and suffers from acute anxiety after Bunny’s death.

Julian Morrow

The only professor of ancient Greek at Hampden. Julian comes off as charming, but he is extremely manipulative, choosing the students he can control and forcing them to cut themselves off from the rest of the school by taking classes only with him. Though Julian is not directly involved in the murders committed in the novel, he seems to be the one controlling the students’ actions, and he leaves them behind when he feels he may be discovered.

Cloke Rayburn

An old friend of Bunny’s who deals drugs. Cloke is the FBI’s main target when looking into what happened to Bunny. 

Judy Poovey

A girl from California who lives in the same dorm as Richard. Judy wants to sleep with Richard, but he tends to dismiss her as vapid, seeing her only when he wants drugs or a distraction because Judy is often partying. Judy seems to be the only character who sees Julian’s students for who they are.

Marion

Bunny’s girlfriend. Marion does not spend any time with Bunny’s friends. After Bunny’s death, Marion marries one of Bunny’s brothers and names their child after Bunny. 

Dr. Roland 

The psychology professor Richard works for.

Georges Laforgue 

Richard’s academic advisor, who tries to dissuade Richard from taking classes with Julian Morrow.

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