Isabel
The protagonist and narrator of the novel, is always striving her best to do anything she can do to get her and her sister out of slavery and back to Rhode Island, where they belong. Isabel's ultimate goal is to find the lawyer who wrote Miss Mary Finch's last will and to set her and her sister free from slavery. Though at a very young age—thirteen years old—she has a very tough character and is devoted to anything she does. Her cleverness helps her in her various tasks of spying on the Loyalists and planning her escape. She is very nurturing towards her younger sister Ruth, knowing that she is the only person who can truly take care of her. She befriends a slave boy named Curzon who works for a Patriot, Master Bellingham, to whom she is a good friend he can always trust, which is shown when she desperately tries to deliver leftover food to Curzon, who is in prison; considering she knows the consequences of helping a Patriot when she is working for a Loyalist. She also shows a brave spirit when she stands up to Mrs. Lockton and demands information on the whereabouts of Ruth, whom Lockton said she has sold but in truth kept Ruth hiding away from Isabel to weaken her. This action results in her being branded with I for insolence on her right cheek as a punishment for standing up to her master, but towards the end of the novel she sees this mark standing for her name Isabel, and is proud to have everyone know her name. On the night of the Queen's Ball, she makes her move on her way to freedom, bringing Curzon along with her.
Ruth
Isabel's five-year-old sister and also a slave. Ruth, who is suffering from epilepsy, often encounters fits from this sickness. She does not talk very often and does what she is told without question, which becomes the more desirable slave to Mrs. Lockton and she would be kept in Mrs. Lockton's chamber for hours to be her maid. Because of her aloof behavior, she is sometimes described as "Addlepated". As a young child, she is sometimes stubborn, for example, she asks for her baby doll every night before going to bed even though she knows that Mr. Robert Finch has taken away all their belongings. Her innocent and vulnerable nature makes her very dependent on Isabel. She is sold to a different slave owner in the West Indies midway through the book.
The Locktons
The Locktons are the owners of Isabel and her sister Ruth throughout most of the whole book. They are both loyalists[3] and treat Isabel and Ruth poorly.
Elihu Lockton (Master Lockton)
A Loyalist who is very self-centered and devious, his commitment to being a Loyalist is shown by his various attempts to get the rebels to join the British side; one of the attempts was to bribe them and hide the money in his wife's linen chest to discourage suspicion. This attempt, however, was discovered thanks to Isabel's report on her spying tasks. He also had a plan to assassinate President George Washington along with a group of Loyalists; unfortunately, their plan was also discovered by Isabel. At home, he is very abusive towards his wife, and he demands to be obeyed by everybody in the house. He also has a big belly, according to the Narrator.
Anne Lockton (Madam Lockton)
The main antagonist of Chains (and arguably the entire trilogy) and the wife of Elihu Lockton, she is also a Loyalist, though not as strongly committed as her husband. Very abusive towards Isabel, both physically and mentally, she does not call her by name and instead calls her Sal; in return demanding Isabel refers to her as Madam. Her harsh and brutal character is shown in her branding Isabel as a punishment for standing up to her and running away afterward. She strongly dislikes Isabel, as opposed to her liking Ruth because she is considered easier to order around. She is very impatient and she always blames Isabel for accidents she encounters, also often picking on the simplest mistakes such as not placing her dog statue in the right position after being dusted. When her husband's aunt falls sick, she hopes that her condition will cause her to die soon. When Lady Seymour's condition improves, Mrs. Lockton seems to be saddened.
Curzon
A slave of Mr. Bellingham, a Patriot, he helps Isabel to achieve her wish for freedom by telling her to become a spy on the Locktons and try to find out any personal information that is sensitive to the political being and report back. While other slaves join the Patriot army to be free from slavery, Curzon says that he is simply a loyal American fighting for the independence of his country; he is even brave enough to risk life imprisonment as long as he is fighting for America's liberty. He is a very good and loyal friend to Isabel, calling her "Country," and he is always helping her in her attempts to seek the liberation of her and her sister.
Lady Seymour
Elihu Lockton's aunt, is very kind to slaves, unlike the rest of the people of the society. She acquaints Isabel and welcomes her dearly, and she always helps Isabel whenever she needs it. When Isabel comes to her house to pass the information that Mr. Lockton has been arrested and that Madam needs his aunt, she tells Isabel to come in the house and even serves her milk and cookies to nourish herself; something nobody at the time would do to slaves. She also took care of Isabel while in recovery right after getting branded, which in return was paid by Isabel helping her escape from the burning bush burning buildings and save her life.
