Dicky Carmichael’s younger daughter, who understands Lewis’s grief and anger and privately vows to help him despite her own difficult home life.

Lewis’s father, a demobilized veteran who resumes conventional suburban life but struggles with his wife and son’s close relationship.

Lewis’s beautiful, free-spirited mother, whose closeness with her son and resistance to social convention distinguish her within Waterford.

Gilbert’s powerful employer and Kit’s father, a domineering local figure who secretly mistreats members of his family.

Kit’s sister and Dicky Carmichael’s daughter, whose puzzling flirtations with Lewis contribute to the novel’s complicated relationships.