The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King

Quint is Jack’s closest friend and was his best friend before the apocalypse. He is the first person Jack finds after the apocalypse, and they have stuck together ever since. Jack describes Quint as being a fiercely loyal friend with a great personality. Quint is highly intelligent and resourceful and knows how to fix or make almost anything. 

Jack notes that Quint shows he cares through his actions more than through words or body language. Quint doesn’t show the same strong emotions as the others and is far more pragmatic and practical, but at the same time, he is devoted to putting friends first. Quint fixes the radio, gives it a longer antenna, and manages to successfully receive the broadcast that changes everything. He also creates the contraption that flings the kids into the scrapyard. 

Quint demonstrates a strong, intuitive understanding of his friends’ personal needs. He fixes the radio largely because he sees how much it means to June, and understands why Jack is set on going to Funland: “Quint looks at me and sees the thing that, sometimes, only a best friend can see: the supreme significance of something to that friend”(173).

June is one of the four members of the group who survived the apocalypse in Wakefield. She is the only girl in the group and is often the strongest and fastest. Jack has a crush on her, which is evident from the beginning of the series. June is one of the only things he cares about when he realizes the world is destroyed, and finding her makes life more complete. In The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King, Jack implies his feelings for June, and his concern for how she is feeling.

June, more than anyone, desperately wants to fix the radio and find other people. She maintains hope in the possibility that her family is still alive. Despite her ability to survive and thrive in a dystopia, June craves a wider sense of community, belonging, and safety. Although Quint and Dirk want to find other people too, June is often on the verge of tears, and is constantly preoccupied with fixing the radio. 

Because of June, Jack is able to grow as a character. When she reassures him that he need not worry about losing his friends, even if they find other people, he lets go of his fear of being alone.

Dirk is the fourth member of the group. He is the tallest and biggest kid, and used to bully Jack and Quint before the apocalypse. However, his attitude has changed, and now he is just glad to have friends. Through Dirk, the narrative shows how people can change and become kinder, even former bullies. While Dirk once used to mock Jack and Quint for things he considered childish, he now likes to dress up as Conan the Barbarian and doesn’t shy away from telling his friends how much he loves them. Dirk is loyal and strong, as well as a skilled and intelligent craftsman. He builds the karts that the kids race in, as well as the Biggun Mobile. Dirk also helps Quint fix the radio. Like his friends, Dirk brings his own unique strengths to the group and is a vital member of the team.