A senior at the Carolina Military Institute, Will is an English major and varsity basketball player of Irish Catholic descent. Feeling like an outsider among the wealthy, pro-military Protestant student body, he maintains a skeptical, independent worldview while enduring the harsh discipline of the school. Because of his independence, the school administration tasks him with covertly protecting the Institute's first African-American cadet.

A wealthy, mannered cadet from one of Charleston's oldest and most established families. Unlike his physically imposing roommates, Tradd is delicate and refined, making him a frequent target for mockery from other cadets. He regularly hosts his friends at his family's grand home, providing them a much-needed sanctuary away from the barracks.

A gruff, physically imposing Italian-American cadet from the northern United States. Mark is known for his straightforward personality and raw physical strength, forming a natural alliance with his equally tough roommate, Dante. He relies on a strict sense of personal integrity to survive the Institute's trials.

An exceptionally strong cadet from an Italian-American neighborhood in New York, universally known as "Pig." He worships physical fitness, takes vitamin supplements rigorously, and practices karate. Beneath his brute strength lies a sentimental heart and an unwavering code of personal loyalty to his chosen family.

A lively young woman from a local family who is hiding from Charleston society due to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Officially supposed to be attending college in California, she lives in secret exile at her family's beach house. She forms an intense, clandestine connection with Will McLean during her isolation.

The commanding president of the Carolina Military Institute and a widely respected World War II hero. He embodies the Institute's highest ideals of honor, duty, and discipline, demanding absolute excellence from the cadets under his command. He possesses significant political influence and was once considered a candidate for President of the United States.

The first and only African-American cadet enrolled at the Carolina Military Institute. Entering a rigidly traditional and potentially hostile environment, he faces the standard brutal hazing of freshman year while simultaneously carrying the burden of integrating the school. He communicates secretly with Will through notes hidden in a library book.

The Commandant of Cadets at the Institute, affectionately known by the students as "the Bear." He is a good-natured but firm school official who recognizes Will's unique moral compass. He bypasses standard military channels to assign Will the covert task of monitoring Tom Pearce's safety.

Tradd's sophisticated and charming mother. As a prominent member of Charleston's wealthy elite, she frequently opens her grand home to Tradd's friends, providing them with home-cooked meals and a respite from military discipline. She worries that her delicate son does not fit in at the brutal college.

Tradd's gruff, reclusive father who works as a sea captain. A former Institute student himself, he spends much of his time away on voyages or secluded in his study working on his extensive personal journals. He represents the deep, generational ties between Charleston's elite families and the military college.

Annie Kate's sharp-tongued, hard-drinking mother. She fiercely guards her family's precarious social standing and insists on keeping her daughter's pregnancy a strict secret from Charleston society. She frequently clashes with Will, looking down on his working-class background.

A harsh platoon sergeant during Will's freshman year. He eagerly enforces the brutal traditions of the Institute, subjecting new cadets to intense mental and physical ordeals during "The Taming." He specifically targets Will after the freshman publishes a satirical poem about the upperclassmen.

An overweight, deeply stressed first-year cadet. Despite his father being an Institute alumnus, he struggles immensely under the cruel hazing of the upperclassmen. His inability to cope with the physical and mental demands leads to a severe crisis early in the school year.

A former cadet from Will's plebe year who suffers from a nervous bladder, causing him to urinate whenever he is placed under extreme pressure by the upperclassmen. Despite this physical reaction, he possesses a courageous personality that earns the quiet respect of his peers before he ultimately leaves the school.

A former Institute cadet who has since gone on to become a law student in Columbia, South Carolina. He is identified by Bobby Bentley as one of the individuals who participated in extreme, unofficial hazing rituals designed to force students out of the college.

An overweight, oddly eloquent historian and instructor at the Institute whom Will respects academically. He has written a book on the history of the college but harbors bigoted views, openly sympathizing with efforts to keep minorities and women out of the school.