The Prisoners
Beneath his lush, all-green golf course, Braddock Washington has detained two dozen aviators who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon his property. These captives are a lively group, hurling curses and defiant remarks at Washington during his visits while also trying to persuade him to set them free. When they hear that one of their fellow prisoners has managed to escape, they celebrate with dancing and singing.

John T. Unger
John T. Unger hails from Hades, “a small town on the Mississippi River.” Although his family is affluent, they are not as extravagantly wealthy as the families whose sons attend the prestigious St. Midas School.

Unlike the excessively self-centered Washingtons, John is more sentimental. When he departs for school, “tears stream from his eyes” as he parts from his father. However, his blind admiration for wealth and the wealthy makes him nearly as superficial. Any initial doubts he has about the Washingtons are quickly overshadowed by his indulgence in their opulence.

He tells Percy, “The richer a fella is, the better I like him.” John frequently mentions the Schnlitzer-Murphys, a very wealthy family he visited one Easter, often describing their jewels and quoting Mr. Schnlitzer-Murphy. When John falls for Kismine, their relationship resembles that of two children at play. His affection for Kismine is based solely on her physical perfection: “He was critical about women. A single defect—a thick ankle, a hoarse voice, a glass eye—was enough to make him utterly indifferent.”

Despite witnessing the men Braddock Washington has imprisoned, John does not seem overly concerned. It is only when he learns that he himself will be killed to keep the Washingtons’ secrets that he becomes truly outraged.

Braddock Washington
As the head of the Washington family, Braddock Washington epitomizes arrogance and self-importance. He is a cold, unfeeling man who is “utterly uninterested in any ideas or opinions except his own.” He categorizes people as either assets or liabilities, assessing their usefulness or the obstacles they may pose. The most extreme example of this mindset is his continued use of slave labor. Kismine reflects her father’s attitude when the attacking aircraft destroy the slaves’ quarters: “There go fifty thousand dollars’ worth of slaves . . . at pre-war prices.”

The height of Braddock Washington's arrogance is showcased towards the story's conclusion. With his home under siege, he ascends the mountain accompanied by two slaves carrying a massive diamond. He offers the diamond to God as a bribe, asking for his life to be restored to its former state. Even in his plea to God, Braddock exhibits no humility; he speaks with "a quality of monstrous condescension." His vision for his and his family's life is epitomized in the design of his personal golf course: "It's all a green, you see—no fairway, no rough, no hazards."

Jasmine Washington
Unlike Percy and Kismine, Jasmine displays some interest in people and events beyond herself. She had aspired to become "a canteen expert" during World War I. Near the story's end, when it becomes evident that she, her sister, and John will be impoverished, she volunteers to work as a washerwoman to support them. However, her continued invitations to guests at the Washington home, despite knowing their grim fate, and her deep disappointment that the war ended before she could achieve her "canteen expert" dream, suggest that Jasmine hasn't fully grasped the essence of compassion.

Kismine Washington
Percy's sister Kismine, around sixteen years old, is a blend of childlike innocence and shallow self-absorption. Fitzgerald notes that both she and her brother "seemed to have inherited the arrogant attitude in all its harsh...