Jules
Jules is from Germany and has made his way to Paris. He meets Jim and they become the best of friends. He also marries Catherine, and his life takes on great difficulty with her. Yet, he stands by Catherine and is constant in his sincere affection for Jim throughout.
Jim
Jim is a Frenchman who becomes a writer. He makes friends with Jules in their youth and they become inseparable. WWI sends them to battle and upon returning he finds Jules in a miserable condition with Catherine. Jim eventually marries Catherine and lives with her and Jules and their daughter until Catherine is unable to conceive. He eventually is able to leave Catherine, but she convinces him to take a car ride with her and drives them off a bridge.
Catherine
Catherine is the "Queen" of the story, as Jules calls her. She is dramatic in her way of dealing with circumstances; moreover, she has multiple affairs while with Jules and eventually marries Jim while living with Jules. A woman who is looking to “even the score,” she will do anything in order to feel justified, even to the point of killing herself and Jim.
