The narrator
The narrator and major character of the story remains unknown as he is not named. What he reveals about himself is the fact that he is 19 and comes from a middle-class family. He is neither too rich nor too poor and he is obsessed with the idea of looking bad and appearing dangerous. Despite this, he is insecure and uncertain of his true identity and he tries to find who he really is. The narrator and his friends go out searching for adrenaline rushes and try to do actions that would set them apart as being dangerous people. In reality and more than often, the children end up looking foolish and immature while trying to appear cool and composed. The narrator is traumatized when he discovers a dead body in the lake and the discovery makes him realize that being alive and in good health is what matters in life, not the way others may perceive him.
Digby
Digby is one of the narrator’s best friends. Just like the narrator, Digby is a member of the middle class who wants to appear more dangerous that he really is in reality. Digby tries to change his appearance to appear more haggard and he even pierced his ear in an attempt to appear more dangerous. Despite this, the narrator points out that Digby had his college paid by his father, hinting thus that he was the type of person who wanted to please everyone.
Jeff
Jess is the narrator’s other best friend, a young man of 19. Just like the narrator and Digby, he comes from a middle-class family and is obsessed with the idea of appearing more dangerous that he is in reality. In comparison with Digby who goes to college, Jeff began thinking about quitting school and becoming an artist. Just like the other characters, Jeff has a vague idea about what it means to be bad.
The Bad Character
The Bad Character is the man the three boys spook near the Greasy Lake. The boys mistook the car owned by the Bad Character with a car owned by one of their friends and decided to pull a prank on him. The prank backfired when an unknown man got out of the car. He began beating the boys and to stop him, the narrator hit him with a tire iron over the head. He wakes up moments later to see the boys running away.
The Fox
The Fox is the name given to the woman who was with the Bad Character in the car when the boys frightened them. After the narrator hit the Bad Character, the Fox got out of the car scantily clad and the boys got the idea to rape her. She is however saved by two unknown men at the last moment.
