Sean is the novel’s primary male protagonist, a 19-year-old four-time champion of the Scorpio Races. Orphaned after his father’s death in the races and abandoned by his mother, Sean has grown up working for Benjamin Malvern, training horses he will never own. He is a round and dynamic character whose transformation, like Puck’s, centers on his autonomy. Over the course of the novel, he takes control of his life and his destiny on Thisby, exemplifying the novel’s ideas about Belonging Versus Freedom in Identity Formation.

Sean’s most defining character trait is his restraint. He speaks little, with Puck noting how “his silence draws [people] out, forces them to meet him” and continue talking (192), particularly when he is interacting with Mutt. Sean absorbs the humiliation he faces, like Mutt urinating in his boots or the need to defer publicly to Malvern and Mutt. This restraint is tied to survival; as a dependent employee of Malvern, he cannot afford open rebellion. Despite this, beneath his composure is a deep longing. Where most of the men on the island see the capaill as vehicles to win races, Sean’s bond with Corr is emotional rather than transactional. His desire to own Corr emphasizes his need to claim something as truly his after years of obedience to Malvern.

Sean’s change begins when he decides to quit working for Malvern. For years, he has tolerated exploitation so that he could stay close to Corr. However, witnessing Mutt’s recklessness, seeing Puck’s courage, and receiving advice from Holly embolden him. His resignation is the culmination of years of frustration, and it is a deliberate act to force Malvern’s hand. Even when Malvern invites him back and tries to control him through the conditional sale of Corr, Sean negotiates, bringing Malvern down significantly on the price by emphasizing his value to him. In this moment, Sean changes, taking control of his future as he begins to recognize his own value.

Sean’s relationship with Puck is another catalyst for his development. Unlike others on the island, she does not idolize or fear him, instead challenging him from their first interaction, where she forces him to prove the unnamed capall’s use. Through her, Sean becomes vulnerable for the first time and learns that there are things to value on the island aside from Corr and the races. This idea is underscored during the race, as Sean notes:

There is a narrow corridor open right to the very front where the three front-runners are fighting it out. Last year I would’ve been through that hole with Corr and they would have been counting the lengths between the rest of the pack and Corr for the remainder of the race. But I don’t make that move (361).

Instead of winning for himself, he stays loyal to Puck, recognizing that their personal connection matters more than winning or even keeping Corr. At the end, when he releases Corr to the ocean, Corr’s decision to remain by his side reflects Sean’s change: He is no longer defined by service but by choice.

Malvern is an antagonist who is Sean’s boss and the wealthiest man on Thisby. He is not violent or outwardly dangerous to Sean, but he uses his power and influence to control him. For Sean, Malvern represents a lack of autonomy, as Malvern owns Corr and refuses to sell him. At the same time, he is also overtly cruel, as he confronts Puck with the news of her mortgage face-to-face to see her reaction and intentionally insults Mutt in front of him. His primary motivation is to maintain power and control over everything from the horses that are bred on the island to Sean, his greatest business asset. Malvern’s central trait is this need for control, which causes him to view relationships transactionally, demanding Sean’s labor, Mutt’s obedience, and Corr’s ownership. His refusal to sell Corr stems from a need for psychological leverage.

Malvern’s lack of change in the novel contrasts with Puck and Sean’s growth and development. While the younger characters struggle with identity and choice, Malvern remains entrenched in the power structures that he has helped build on the island. His static nature highlights the island’s broader resistance to change, especially as he is part of the opposition to Puck’s defiance of gender norms. Similarly, his rational, calculated control contrasts with the violent and vindictive nature of his son, emphasizing how Malvern gained control of the island of Thisby.

Gabe is Puck’s older brother. He reveals at the start of the novel that he plans to leave the island behind to go to the mainland—a decision that serves as an inciting incident that draws Puck into the races. Puck’s perspective shapes his initial characterization, as she perceives him to be irresponsible and indifferent; he disappears for days at a time, abandons his siblings, and refuses to care about her struggle in the race. However, these actions stem from emotional fatigue, a fact that Puck grows to understand throughout the text. He serves as a foil to Puck, as his strong desire to leave Thisby contrasts sharply with Puck’s desire to stay. For Gabe, freedom requires departure, yet he changes throughout the course of the novel by acknowledging this fact to Puck. When they hug as she leaves for the race and as he follows her to help her get her colors, he demonstrates emotional honesty for the first time in the text. Ultimately, his motivations mirror Puck’s, as his perceived abandonment is a form of self-preservation, just as Puck’s need to win the race is hers.

Mutt is the novel’s other antagonist. Unlike his father, he is openly violent and aggressive, often posturing and using his privilege as a weapon. His decision to ride Skata, the dangerous and infamous piebald capall, reflects his impulsive need to prove himself. He taunts Sean publicly and intentionally sabotages the race, culminating in his decision to harm Skata during the race to bring down Sean and Corr. In this way, the novel contrasts him with Sean. While Sean values the capaill and understands them, Mutt is willing to sacrifice them to get revenge.

While Mutt is a static figure, his motivations give him complexity. His violent behavior stems from desperation for approval, particularly from his father, who openly values Sean over him. However, Mutt seeks validation through spectacle and control, and his arc emphasizes the entitlement found on the island of Thisby. His fate, attempting to destroy the race and nearly dying, emphasizes the emptiness of his wealth and power. Instead, the novel’s resolution focuses on the personal attachment that has developed between Sean and Puck, which allows them to win the race despite Mutt’s sabotage.