Len
Len is a working-class man in his 20s, tall and skinny. He works as a common laborer, and after going to Pam's house to have sex with her, begins living there as a boarder. He is a true outsider who gives himself over to his devotional feelings for Pam, often at the expense of his own well-being. He has a perverse nobility, managing to keep doing what is best in spite of the horrors that surround him. He is also defined by a certain delusional quality, in that he continues to dote on Pam even though she has absolutely no interest in him and is frequently abusive.
Pam
About two years older than Len, Pam is a young woman who cares for little other than her attraction to the vulgar Fred. She is continuously cynical and pessimistic, often feeling like a victim of her own choices and taking out her resentment on other people. She is cruel to Len, who hounds her for affection, and completely neglects the baby that she had with Fred, eventually leaving it in the park to be stoned to death. After the death of her baby, she appears to have no feelings about the event, and continues in her single-minded pursuit of Fred.
Mary
Pam’s 53-year-old mother Mary is no more maternal than her daughter, often scolding Pam and neglecting Pam's child just as much as Pam does. She hasn’t spoken to her husband Harry in years, and at one point comes on to Len.
Harry
Pam’s father is nearly twenty years older than his wife, a voyeur to all who partake of sexual gratification under his roof. He is an essentially taciturn and aloof individual whose only interest seems to be filling out football coupons.
Fred
Fred is Pam’s latest sexual conquest and heads up a local gang of toughs. He fathers a child with Pam and then kills it with a group of his friends. Still, he is goaded by the others and remains remorseless about his act, even after getting caught.
Pete, Colin, Mike, and Barry
The rest of the gang that stones Pam's baby to death. They are all foul-mouthed and violent nihilists who are victims of society's neglect.
