Chris Baldry is an upper class gentleman who chafes against the upper class expectations he is supposed to meet. According to critic Carl Rollyson, his amnesia reveals someone who has a suppressed "romantic sensibility". As Jenny comments in the book, he "was not like other city men"; he had a "great faith in the improbable."[2] Throughout the novel, Chris is treated simply as the "soldier" and is often not given a full examination by Jenny as the narrator, thus his character is flat, an individual stuck in his masculine function in society.[3]
Kitty Baldry on the other hand, is neoclassical in her outlook. Instead of the romantic optimism which Chris exhibits throughout the novel, Kitty's life revolves around the "proper forms" of an upperclass performance. Obsessed with self-control, good breeding, manners and making life tidy and comfortable, Kitty creates a facade of happiness which she projects on Baldry Court.[2]
Margaret is a character cast in strong contrast with Kitty. A worn out lower-class woman, to whom the narrator Jenny is initially hostile, Margaret reveals herself as both thoughtful and aware, both revealing the illusions in Baldry Court to Jenny and supporting and expanding Dr. Anderson's analysis of Chris's psychological state.[2]
As noted above, Jenny is the narrator of the story, the cousin (through marriage) to Kitty.[2]
