Unnamed protagonist
The main character is never named in Penpal. He is a young man, looking back over his life in a series of disparate memories, in order to try to make sense of what has happened to him. As a kindergartner, he inadvertently attracted an obsessed stalker when a class assignment looking for penpals went awry. For years our protagonist dealt with both the creepy and the horrific actions of this deranged man.
Josh
The main protagonists' best friend since kindergarten. He fell victim to our storyteller's stalker and paid the ultimate price for his proximity to the deranged man's obsession.
Our protagonist's mother
Realizing the dangers of her son's stalker, she tried her best to protect him. She sold their home and moved to a new neighborhood to escape his watchful eye and she shielded her son from some of the details of the man's actions, telling him only later when she felt he'd be better able to understand.
Mrs. Maggie
Our storyteller's neighbor. An elderly woman with Alzheimer's who spent her time waiting for her deceased husband, Tom, to return home. Poor Mrs. Maggie fell victim to the stalker when he used her home to get closer to the object of his obsession.
Alex
An older boy who sat with our storyteller at lunch in grade school. He protected him from the bullies who were stealing his lunch. Alex had a crush on Josh's older sister, Veronica.
Veronica
Josh's older sister. The protagonist met her again several years later as a teen and arranged to go on a date. Veronica was struck by a hit-and-run driver; her main offense was getting close to our storyteller.
