Patty Bergen
Patty is the 12-year-old narrator of the novel and is at the time in her life when she is trying to work out where she fits and trying to understand who she is. This is rather a complicated process as she does not fit in with her family; she is curious and talkative which angers her father and she does not care to fit the beauty pageant mold that her mother requires of her. Consequently she feels that her only friend is Ruth, the family's housekeeper. When Patty first meets Anton, who is a German prisoner of war, she immediately has a "first crush" feeling about him and is so unfamiliar with somebody being nice to her that she forms a bond with him very quickly. Because of her young age she does not fully grasp the political situation of the time and cannot understand how it is that the polite, gentle and kind young man is the enemy when the people in her own family are bullies yet supposed to be the people she has loyalty to. Patty is quite willful and headstrong but everything she does is a result of wanting her parents to love her when she is aware that they don't. Although helping an escaped prisoner of war is completely wrong Patty is not being anti-American or intentionally consorting with the enemy but merely reaching out to the one person in her life who seems to appreciate her as she is and not want to change her.
Patty's Father
Harry Bergen is Patty's father and is incredibly abusive towards her. He beats her with a belt yet blames her for the beating and feels that nobody loves him; Anton overhears him talking to himself after doling out a particularly brutal beating and he repeats over and over that nobody has ever loved him. His brutality does not extend to his younger daughter whom he idolizes and even though he can sometimes be snappy and disrespectful towards his wife he does not lay a finger on her. Patty's personality irritates him and the harder she tries to connect with him the colder and more distant he becomes. Harry and Patty's mother are the owners of the town's department store and are respected as good business people but as a Jew he is still a little bit of an outsider, although he is e tremendously well connected within the synagogue community in Memphis where the Bergen's used to live.
Patty's Mother
Patty's mother is more concerned with outward appearances than inner beauty. She adores her younger daughter Sharon because she is pretty and willing to do the girly things that her mother likes. She does not like Patty because she has frizzy, non- compliant hair, and because she is not particularly interested in trying to be feminine and take care of her appearance. She is passive-aggressive and uses Patty's hair as a way of exerting control over her, forcing her to get a tight, ugly permanent wave just to show that she is in control.
Anton Reiker
Anton is a German soldier who is a prisoner of war in Patty's all Arkansas town. He is a gentle, thoughtful young man who was relieved to have been taken prisoner as it kept him away from fighting. Anton is charmed by Patty and she means so much to him that he almost gives himself away when he runs out from his hiding place to rescue Patty from her father's beating. He also feels that it is unfair that he is vilified since his family actually don't support Adolf Hitler. He also feels very lonely and like a square peg in a round hole, which is exactly how Party feels, making them feel very close to each other. Anton is a peaceful, non-violent young man who meets a far more violent end than his character could have predicted.
Ruth Hughes
Ruth is the African-American housekeeper working for the Bergen family and Patty considers Ruth her only true friend. Ruth thinks of Patty like a daughter and is the only person to visit her in the reform school. Ruth is a wonderful cook and valued by the Bergens. She carries herself with dignity and pride which slightly aggravates Harry Bergen as he feels she should be more subservient in her manner. Ruth has a son who is fighting in the war in Europe and she is terrified for him. She is also very sad for him as he was on his way to university when war was declared and instead of being able to continue his education he was sent to war instead.
Charlene Madlee
Charlene Madlee is a journalist covering the story of the prisoners of war and following it up with an investigative piece about Anton's escape. She is diligent and responsible in her reporting and also surprisingly forceful when it comes to getting information. She takes Patty under her wing and encourages her ambitions to be a reporter, although some of this encouragement is also to enable Charlene to continue to follow Patty's story. She is definitely a friend in Patty's time of need.
