- Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage : As a child, Tilly was targeted by the entire town. Accused of attacking Stewart Pettyman, Tilly was sent away without trial as an act of pettiness. After leaving Dungatar, she worked in the fashion industry throughout Europe and on her return becomes the new popular dressmaker of the town. Despite her newfound skills, Tilly remains an insecure and defeated child at heart, who longs for an explanation for the town's treatment of her and their acceptance. Tilly has a weak and receding personality, believing herself to be "cursed", though she tries to be kind. The deaths of Teddy and her mother inspire her to finally give up on trying to please the townspeople, and seek revenge instead.
- Molly Dunnage : Tilly's mother; she is mentally unstable and also called "Mad Molly" by the townspeople. Once upon a time, she had been a beautiful and willful girl who had a short fling with the much older Evan Pettyman. She was smart enough to break up with him quickly, but falling pregnant with Tilly doomed her. Evan Pettyman ensured Molly was unemployable and ostracized, forcing her to be his secret mistress to survive. Evan never let her forget the insult of turning him down, and encouraged the townspeople to torment her as punishment.
- Ted McSwiney : Love interest of Tilly and star footballer of the town. His family has the lowest class status of the town, but Teddy's handsome appearance, amiable nature, and athletic skill grants him the occasional special privilege.
- Sergeant Horatio Farrat : Town's only police officer and a secret crossdresser.
- Gertrude "Trudy" Pratt : The awkward daughter of the town grocers, who dreams of being popular and lovely. Marrying the handsome and college-educated William with the help of Tilly's dresses (and a lot of manipulation) was supposed to endow her with those traits and give her an escape from the grocery and into a glamorous life. However, she is soon shocked to realize that her husband's family is not successful and well off, like Elsbeth presents them as. Her husband quickly loses interest after their marriage, her mother in law still treats her like an uneducated rube, and her parents will not freely give her financial support. Trudy turns to creating the Ladies Society and then heading the circle of nasty women in town to gain the status and image she desires, and joins her mother in law in trying to drive her husband into being successful enough to provide the high class life she wants. Increasingly desperate for attention, she leads the rivalry with the neighboring town and is a major decision maker in the choice to put on "MacBeth" and purchase expensive costumes. Trudy's hysteria during the disastrous play is used by her husband as an excuse to have her committed.
- William Beaumont : Husband of Trudy and son of Elsbeth, who returns to Dungatar after attending agricultural college in Armidale. His grasping mother annoys him with her clingy dependency, and with her lofty airs, which neither she nor he can afford to support. In an attempt to rebel against his controlling mother who looks down on Trudy's looks and background, (and to conveniently settle the massive debts his mother has run up with Trudy's parents) he marries Trudy and later realises that he does not love her, especially as she tries to emulate his mother's 'high class' manners to impress him. He feels bullied by his mother and his wife, and frees himself by abandoning Tilly to an asylum and taking their son.
- Elsbeth Beaumont : A controlling and snobbish widow, the mother of William, who lives outside of Dungatar at the farm. She has champagne tastes on a beer budget, and is forever bragging about the success of her college-educated son. She has incurred significant debts with the local stores, which she expects her son to cover.
- Mona Beaumont : Second child of Elsbeth and sister of William. A hypersexual and ugly girl, ignored by everyone, Mona is forced to marry Lesley Muncan due to a mistaken belief that the pair had sex. Mona causes a major scandal by masturbating on stage during the play.
- Lesley Muncan : Initially a visitor to town pretending to be a 'dressage' instructor, when he is actually a poor servant. Due to a misunderstanding, the likely-homosexual Lesley reluctantly marries Mona Beaumont and the two form an amiable couple.
- Evan Pettyman : Councillor of the town and father of Tilly and Stewart. Pettiman is a cruel, controlling, petty, and vicious man, with an extreme misogynistic streak. Nonetheless, he is charming and powerful, which he uses to target women for affairs and control. He used his parental status to have Tilly sent away after the death of his son, Stewart, less because he believed her to have killed him, and more to be vindictive.
- Marigold Pettyman : Wife of Evan; she has cleaning OCD depression, and agoraphobia. She is often disoriented and unsure of the time or place. Marigold had the misfortune of being the timid and moneyed daughter of an influential townsman. Her money and pushover nature made her a target of Evan, who baby trapped her into marriage. After their marriage, Evan drove her to neurosis and encourages her mental illnesses to control her. Marigold's daily 'medicine' is actually a soporific tranquilizer, and her husband rapes her while she is blacked out. Though she is devoted to the memory of her deceased only son, Stewart, she is aware he was a little monster, and despises his resemblance to her husband. After learning of her husband's foul acts, Marigold murders him.
- Stewart Pettyman : Son of Evan and Marigold; Stewart was a nasty bully who took after his father. He took especial please in targeting Tilly, though he tormented most of the other children. Stewart died as a child in a self-caused accident while trying to attack Tilly. His death is labeled a murder, and Tilly is accused of killing him.
- Muriel Pratt : Mother of Trudy and wife of Alvin; she owns a store in town with her husband and is part of the snobby women of town.
- Alvin Pratt : Father of Trudy and husband of Muriel; owns a grocery store in town with his wife. Alvin enjoys people being indebted to him, and is solely focused on money. He even runs debts up on his own daughter, Trudy.
- Percival Almanac : An orthodox, controlling and violent man who looks down on others; he owns the town pharmacy and makes his own medicines. He often makes medicine which is painful, harmful, or damaging on purpose to 'punish' sinners, because he believes ailments are the result of sin. He beat his wife when he was younger, but now suffers from parkinson's and is folded over in a hunchback.
- Irma Almanac : Wife of Percival; she is suffering from some disease but her husband, with his controlling temper, does not let her get proper medication as he believes that her pain is the result of sin.
- Edward McSwiney : Father of Teddy and town's handyman; he and his family are considered outcasts and live at the edge of town.
- Mae McSwiney : Wife of Edward and mother of eleven children including Teddy and Barney; she often checks on Molly in the absence of Tilly from the town.
- Barney McSwiney : Brother of Teddy; has some kind of disability.
- Faith O’Brien : Lead singer of the town's local band; married to Hamish O’Brien but having an affair with Reginald Blood, which she does not hide at all but still her husband is unaware of it.
- Hamish O’Brien : Husband of Faith; he is in the local band and also works as a conductor for the trains coming in and out of Dungatar.
- Reginald Blood : Town's local butcher; he is having an affair with married Faith O'Brien and keeps the townspeople silent about his affair by bribing them.
- Prudence Dimm : Tilly's former schoolteacher; teaches at school in Dungatar. Prudence has long held a candle for Evan Pettyman, and as a result, showed heavy favoritism towards his son, Stewart, whom she doted on. Prudence took cruel pleasure in tormenting Tilly and the other poorer students, and lied on the police report that she saw Tilly murder Stewart.
- Ruth Dimm : Works at the post office and is in a secret relationship with Nancy Pickett. Ruth opens and reads all of the letters passing through her care, and sometimes keeps desirable packages, or refuses to send mail from certain people. Ruth is the one who took the town's insurance check, and instead of mailing it, used it to pay Tilly for the costumes.
- Nancy Pickett : A strong woman; she is in a secret relationship with Ruth.
- Bobby Pickett : Brother of Nancy; he is gentle and slow because of which he was picked on by other students in school.
- Lois Pickett : Mother of Nancy and Bobby; famous for picking her own scabs and blackheads.
- Purl Bundle : She works at the town's local hotel and is described as very beautiful.
- Fred Bundle : Husband of Purl. Owns the town's local pub.
- Septimus Crescent : One of the townsmen; he always has pub spats with Hamish O’Brien and despite knowing that Hamish's wife is having an affair with Reginald Blood, he never reveals that to him.
- Beula Harridene : Town's malicious snoop. She will sneak around people's houses, snoop through their things, and take any evidence she's found to the police or Evan to have people punished.
- Una Pleasance : Tilly's rival dressmaker; hired by the townswomen. She is a relative of Elsbeth, and has an affair with Evan Pettiman. Her clothes are subpar compared to Tilly's.
This content is from Wikipedia. GradeSaver is providing this content as a courtesy until we can offer a professionally written study guide by one of our staff editors. We do not consider this content professional or citable. Please use your discretion when relying on it.
