Character Analysis
Theresa Carmody
Theresa's one of the people who Frank delivers telegrams to. She seems to have a "seize the day" attitude towards life because of her illness, and she has a rep with the delivery boys for being "easy." Poor Theresa dies from consumption shortly after having sex with Frank. Although Frank experiences death throughout his life, no one's death hits him as hard as Theresa's. After she dies, he worries that he's caused Theresa's soul to rot in hell because they had sex.
Peter Dooley aka Quasimodo
Peter Dooley has a hump on his back and an eye that points in the wrong direction but he has the voice of an angel. He spends most of his time listening to the BBC and has a perfect English accent. He lets boys from the block see his naked sisters bathing if they pay him first.
Mrs. Brigid Finucane
Old Mrs. Finucane pays Frank to write collection letters for her business. She's a nasty businesswoman, and when Frank finds her dead in her home, he throws all her collection books into the River Shannon so none has to repay.
The Hannons
Angela's friend and neighbor, Bridey, always lends a sympathetic ear to Angela. They spend many afternoons laughing and smoking. Her father gives Frank his first job and becomes a father figure to Frank.
The Leibowitzes
The Leibowitzes are Frank's Jewish next-door neighbors in America. They help Angela take care of the kids when she gets depressed because of Margaret's death. Frank's a friend of their son, Freddie. Frank learns a little about Jewish customs from the family.
Patricia Madigan
Frank meets Patricia at the hospital. They quickly become friends and Patricia introduces him to poetry and Shakespeare. Unfortunately, Patricia dies soon after they meet.
Mr. McCaffrey
Mr. McCaffrey is Frank's boss at Eason and Son, Ltd., a company that distributes newspapers. He's honest with Frank and wants the best for him. He reminds him that when you come from the lanes "you have nowhere to go but up" (16.100).
The Molloys
The Molloys are Frankie's neighbors. Their father, Peter, is an alcoholic just like Frank's dad and often leaves his kids and wife to fend for themselves. Mrs. Molloy's unable to meet the demands of taking care of a family all by herself and regularly ends up in the insane asylum. Mikey's older than Frank and is his go-to whenever he has questions he's uncomfortable asking adults.
Mrs. O'Connell and Ms. Barry
Like the McNamara Sisters, Mrs. O'Connell and Ms. Barry are two mean ladies. They work at the post office assigning telegrams to the telegram boys. They love to gossip and are awful to Frank and the other telegram boys. They shame Frank in front of the other boys by accusing him of thinking he's too good for the P.O. because he wants to go to America.
Miss O'Riordan
She works at the library and thinks Frank's a devout lad for wanting to read about the lives of the saints. But when he picks up a book by Lin Yutang, she accuses him of having slanty eyes and throws him out of the library.
Seamus
The friendly janitor at Frank's hospital, Seamus is the go-between Patricia Madigan and Frank. After Patricia dies, Seamus becomes good friends with Frank and goes out of his way to learn the ending of the poem that Frank and Patricia used to recite together.
Mr. Timoney
Mr. Timoney is Frank's first adult friend. He pays Frank to read him Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal because he's losing his eyesight. Unfortunately, he gets sent away to a nursing home shortly thereafter.