Jennings Michael Burch
This orphan author is now a police officer with three daughters. This is his story about his life following his mother's abandonment, when she left him at an orphanage and disowned him. That didn't mean he never saw her again—he actually lived with her after years in orphanhood, but it didn't work out, and Burch ended up being raised by helpful public servicemen, like a helpful, friendly police officer, and Sal, who took Burch in.
Mrs. Burch
Mrs. Burch is an alcohol. She was left by her husband, an alcoholic, and when her sons were old enough, they left with flair. They are also extremely alcoholic. Jennings Michael Burch can't live with her or without her, and after spending years in orphanages and foster homes, she invites him home as if it never happened. Then suddenly, she hurts herself in a drunken stupor, and he is orphaned again.
Stacy
Stacy is an orphan who lives with young Jennings in the Catholic orphanage in the Bronx, Home of the Angels. Stacy is friendly toward him, and she helps him adjust to life as an orphan. Although they are similarly neglected, the don't neglect each other, and although they are only together for a short time, they are able to deeply connect as friends. So deeply that Jennings thinks about her the rest of his life, with romantic longing.
Sal
Sal is the friendly bus driver who takes Burch in when he becomes an orphan yet again, when his mother is injured. After a police officer quickly decides the same thing, Sal decides to allow Jennings to come live with him, instead of having to go back into the orphanage, or with more foster parents. Life has always been a changing homelessness for Jennings, but Sal gave him a permanent place. That makes him family.
The Carpenters
Unlike the messianic quality implied by their name, these saviors are far from perfect. Their abuse of a helpless orphan is evidence of that. Burch's time with these foster parents was clearly only for the monetary benefits. They ostracized him from the family and made him feel he wasn't worth normal treatment in the family. Meanwhile, they exploited his situation, literally, for financial gain, and they beat him.
