The Houston brothers
William Houston and his younger brother James represent the experiences of low-ranked soldiers in the Vietnam war. William joins the navy while James joins the army, and their stories in the novel reflect the experiences of many real-life soldiers during the war.
Colonel Francis Sands
Colonel Sands is a celebrated war hero and represents the importance of reputation and esteem in the armed forces. He is even known simply as "the Colonel," due to his significant contributions. For Skip, Colonel Sands represents the expectations and pressure placed upon him to achieve greatness. When the colonel later suffers from insanity and paranoia, we see how reputations can be damaging and misleading.
Alcohol and prostitutes
Johnson explores the everyday experiences of low-ranked soldiers during the Vietnam war, showing the traumas and horrors they witnessed. As a result of this, we see that the Houston brothers often use their money to buy alcohol and prostitutes, in an attempt to escape their suffering and trauma.
