Rose
The "rose" in "Wild Oats" is a boisterous society girl who walks into the narrator's shop. She is loud, attractive for obvious reasons, and less alluring than her companion.
Beautiful
"Beautiful" is the Rose's companion in "Wild Oats." She wears glasses and carries on a good conversation. With good will, she dates the narrator for a while, but eventually she leaves, blaming him for being too selfish and unwilling to be vulnerable with her.
The Hedgehog
The hedgehog of "The Mower" is the narrator's stand-in for death. Unsuspecting, the poor creature dies a violent death thanks to the narrator's mower. The little fellow plays no role beyond the symbolic, as he's already dead, but his death symbolizes the greater fragility of existence and life itself.
Dockery
"Dockery and Son" features the memory of this fellow. He used to be the narrator's schoolmate, but they have both grown into old men. Since Dockery has died, his son becomes the emissary not only of death but of memory more specifically. A bit younger than the narrator, his absence is felt keenly. Also he has a son, which strikes the narrator as particularly shocking in comparison with his own un-domesticated lifestyle.
The Ex
She reminds the narrator of his own insecurities in "Love Again." Unwilling to move past her, he is severely hurt by the thought, or evidence, of her moving past him. He describes her with a sense of ownership, as if her body should be always his alone. Although she is a stranger in many ways now, she is also his projected source of feelings of inadequacy. She left. More importantly, perhaps, he feels the need to pretend as if he didn't mind that she's gone now.
