Will
During the events of the novel, Will is a 12-year-old boy who is still growing and has advanced, but still limited capabilities. Despite his age, Will is enlisted by Dr. Warthrope to help him eliminate the scourge of the incredibly powerful and cannibalistic Anthropophagi on their town. This defies expectations; typically, kids would never be put in a position to fight monsters like the Anthropophagi.
Dr. Warthrope
Dr. Warthrope has dedicated his life to studying and guarding the world against vicious monsters, many of whom are determined to destroy the human race. Despite this noble pursuit and his positive intentions, Dr. Warthrope treats those around him with utter contempt and psychopathy.
Will's adoption
Will is ultimately adopted by Dr. Warthrope, who before Will's parent's death hardly knew the boy. Dr. Warthrope, in fact, didn't particularly like children but felt guilty that Will's parents death was caused by monsters that he had vowed to protect his community rom. Virtually no one would not adopt a child that they didn't know in that situation.
The grave robber
The grave robber comes barging into Dr. Warthrope's home even though he didn't need to. After all, Dr. Warthrope often had cordial meetings with people like the grave robber on a regular basis. This makes the grave robber's actions unexpected and strange: he could have simply walked into Dr. Warthrope's home and he would have had a meeting with him.
Phantoms
The quote "We have dedicated our lives to the pursuit of phantoms" is an example of verbal irony. The word "phantoms" suggest the speaker doesn't think the monsters they deal with on a daily basis don't really exist beyond the imagination. But the speaker's suggestion doesn't reflect reality: they think (and readers know) that monsters exist and that they aren't phantoms.
