Philip
Philip is the novel's main character, an emotionally detached paratrooper in the army. He is selfish and amoral and basically goes along with what everyone else thinks in an attempt to be cool, but at the same time, he realizes the folly of this attitude and becomes disgusted with everyone. Philip is certainly an interesting character, and he doesn't seem to actually enjoy anything; rather, like Camus's Meursault, the best days of his life contain a sense of complete and content dissociation from the pressures of reality.
Lewis
Lewis is one of the two other men with whom Philip is stationed on the Fourth of July to guard the ammo dump. He is loud and obnoxious, bragging about his fictional sexual exploits and trying to present himself as a tough guy, an image that is undercut by his gaunt frame, red face, social ineptitude, and disregard for basic hygiene. He clearly has some mental health issues, and he is the Barracks Thief, stealing money to give to a prostitute before being dishonorably discharged.
Hubbard
Hubbard is the last of the three men stationed at the ammo dump on July 4th. He is different from the rest of the army men; he doesn't want to kill anyone, and he's sick of the others, who act tough and disregard the feelings of others. He doesn't want revenge on Lewis when he steals his money, an attitude Philip can't understand. He eventually deserts from the army instead of showing up to be stationed elsewhere.
Guy Bishop
Guy is the father of Philip and Keith, and he's an interesting character. He's never content with settling down, always wanting to roam free and move to some other situation, job, or woman. When he leaves his family, Philip begins to despise him, and Keith goes down the wrong path. Guy seems like a well-meaning fellow, but Philip's hard attitude toward him never abates.
Keith
Keith is Philip's younger brother. When their father walked out, his grief never subsided; after weeping extensively, he began to do drugs and hang out with the wrong people, and after a couple of years, he takes the car and disappears in San Francisco. Eventually he returns home and moves into an apartment, working as a security guard in the building, which is a better future than Philip had imagined for him.
