Character Analysis
The residents of Swampsea probably have their own lives, but as far as Briony's concerned they are either friends, annoyances, or reminders of her deepest secrets. Cecil Trumpington wants to marry Briony, is pretty needy and aggressive with his advances, and reminds her constantly that she has a dark secret that he's in on. Dr. Rannigan is always reminding everyone of danger in the form of swamp cough and the mysterious sickness caused by Stepmother and Leanne. And Tiddy Rex adores Briony, and the fact that she cares about him too shows she's not all sharp edges and snarky comments.
Judge Trumpington, Swamp Reeve, the Constable, and the Hangman remind Briony of the dangers that exposing her witchy self would come with—and when Nelly is hanged for being a witch, Briony's fears are confirmed. Mad Tom is definitely mad, but he also does a pretty great job of pointing out Leanne for who she is, while Robert—Rose's Robert—does a great job of showing that Rose is just a normal girl with a crush. He also pushes Rose to tell the truth in the end, so you know, three cheers for Robert.