Eric“Moby” Calhoune : The narrator, Eric, has always struggled with his weight and the status of an outcast. He earned the nickname "Moby" because he is extremely fat; however loses weight later on after joining the swim team. He is best friends with fellow outcast Sarah Byrnes, whose facial scarring caused her social problems. Eric is recruited by the swim coach, begins to lose weight, and fears that Sarah Byrnes will not remain friends with him if he is no longer fat.
Sarah Byrnes : Extreme facial and hand scarring result in her being a social outcast, and she has a somewhat bitter outlook on life. She becomes mute and catatonic in class one day, apparently for no reason. It is discovered that she is afraid that her father, Virgil Byrnes, is going to continue to physically abuse her as he has in the past.
Steve Ellerby : Ellerby is Eric’s best male friend and a teammate on the swim team. His Christian cruiser shows blasphemy toward his dad and religion.
Dale Thornton : A bully that ironically ends up befriending Eric Calhoune and Sarah Byrnes because of his somewhat outcast status as someone who struggled in school and eventually dropped out.
Mark Brittain : A fellow team member and classmate, and a devout Christian, Mark is somewhat of a foil for Eric and Ellerby. Ellerby is the most self-actualized, Eric is in the process, but Mark’s rigid home life leads him to be easily goaded and often has his beliefs called into question. Mark attempts suicide after being unable to reconcile his beliefs with his actions.
Jody Mueller : Jody is originally Mark Brittain's girlfriend. He convinced her to have an abortion the previous year, and then blamed her for their actions as a couple. She somewhat feels the outcast stigma (internally, at least, as the abortion is a secret), and she befriends and begins dating Eric.
Ms. Cynthia Ellen Lemry : She is the swim team coach and teacher of the controversial class Contemporary American Thought. All characters (except of Dale Thornton) are members of her class. Ms. Lemry is Eric’s mentor, and he goes to her when the problems with Sarah Byrnes surface.
Virgil Byrnes : Sarah Byrnes’ father Virgil is a violent and mentally unstable man who physically abused her when she was a child.
Carver Middleton : Eric's mother's boyfriend. Was a Vietnam War veteran and confronts Virgil Byrnes himself.
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