Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Ward Minogue

Ward doesn't appear much in the book, but he's a constant threat. When he appears, he tries to tempt Frank back to the life of crime, threatening that he'll expose Frank's involvement in the robbery of the grocery store he now works in. An unrepentant criminal, Ward is a contrasting image to Frank until, in Frank's darkest hour, they both sexually abuse Helen. Unlike Frank, however, Ward feels no remorse. He dies in a fire he himself inadvertently caused after breaking into a liquor store.