Character Analysis
If we could only hang out with one fictional character (or couple) from this book, we'd want it to be Paul and Betty Kasoura. Childan goes on about how they're young, handsome, and well-dressed (that is, wealthy) (1.13). But we'd want to hang out with them because they're so culturally hip—they listen to cool music, read popular and classic books, and can cook. (Cooking is very in right now.)
Part of the Kasouras role here is just to be a screen for Childan to project his own issues onto. It would be nice to know what they think of everything, but instead we only have Childan's POV on them. So when we hear from Childan that Betty has "Such understanding in her face" (1.36), that might be accurate. But it could also just be Childan having the hots for the young Japanese woman. Great, so he's a racist and a creepy old man at the beginning of the story.
Without necessarily meaning to, Betty and Paul also play an important role in Childan's transformation. That is, Childan passes on some Edfrank jewelry because he wants to seduce Betty (again: creepy old man), and Paul then explains to Childan how the jewelry has wu. So, even though they are not major POV characters, the Kasouras play two important roles in Childan's story:
(A) Since they're so great and accepting, they emphasize Childan's problems at the beginning of the book—he's a racist, who doesn't really understand a lot of American culture, whereas the Kasouras appreciate the heck out of it; and (B) Then they actually help Childan to overcome some of his problems. So, by the end of the book, Childan seems like less of a racist and more appreciative of American culture.
So that end, where "Childan" changes for the better? Let's thank Paul and Betty Kasoura for playing an important role in that.