Background: T. comes from a wealthier family that has fallen on hard times.

Personality: T. is brooding, unhappy, rebellious, and more focused on his thoughts than how others perceive him. He is the perfect anarchist because he only seeks destruction and chaos to create a new beginning.

"T was giving his orders with decision: it was as though this plan had been with him all his life, pondered through the seasons, now in his fifteenth year crystalized with the pain of puberty." (Greene, 182)

Joining the Gang: T. joins the Wormsley Common Gang and impresses the other boys with his demeanor.

Leadership: T. becomes the gang leader by suggesting the plan to destroy Mr. Thomas's house.

Motivation: T. wants to destroy the house not out of malice but as a rebellion against the older generation's materialism and class superiority.

Role: Blackie is the leader of the Wormsley Common Gang before T. joins.

Responsibility: Blackie takes his leadership duties seriously and wants what's best for the gang.

Relationship with T:

• Initially, he sees promise in T. but has reservations about his upper-class background.

• He becomes briefly jealous of T. when he takes over leadership.

• Ultimately, he respects T.'s vision and remains loyal even when the others turn against him.

Loyalty: Blackie stands up for T. and the gang's values, even when others waver.

"Then Blackie acted before the gang had time to laugh, pushing Summers backward." (Greene, 188)

Role: Mike is one of the youngest members of the gang.

Conflict: Mike struggles to master the group's code as he transitions from childhood to adolescence.

Contribution: Mike is eager to contribute and be taken seriously.

Success: Mike is proud of his ability to warn the gang about Old Misery and follows instructions to help trap him.

Practicality: Summers is pragmatic and values pranks that are fun and low-risk.

Leadership: Summers is outspoken and seems to influence the other unnamed boys.

Motivation: Summers resents upper-class superiority and is motivated to destroy Mr. Thomas's house.

Symbolic Destruction: The destruction of the house symbolizes a strike against the old social order.

Background: Mr. Thomas is an old man who worked in construction before World War 2.

Pride: He is deeply proud of his old house that survived the war.

Beliefs: Mr. Thomas believes in the pre-war social hierarchy and order.

Symbolism: Mr. Thomas represents a world that is outdated and unable to adapt to change.

He's a foil to Trevor because he worries about the money.

He is the only one who asks about spending the money, and when the house is nothing but just walls, he drops a penny from the top.

Unwitting Destruction: The lorry driver unintentionally destroys Mr. Thomas's house.

Shared Hostility: The driver's laughter suggests that others share the boys' hostility towards the old social order in the community.

Symbolism: The lorry driver represents the broader societal shift away from the pre-war class structure.

"He said, "I'm sorry. I can't help it, Mr. Thomas. There's nothing personal, but you must admit it's funny". (Greene, 192)