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Character Role Analysis

Jacob and Ben

Ben and Jacob grew up as thick as thieves; they loved spending time together, and never left each other's sides until Ben went off to Harvard. They have a lot in common, from growing up in the same town to sharing experiences to a similar sense of humor. Enter the KKK. Jacob becomes a member while Ben is off fighting racism. One of the reasons that Jacob's broken moral compass bothers Ben so much is because the two of them are really similar—Ben worries that if someone like Jacob can be part of the KKK, anybody could be.