Characters (Junior Cert English): Revision Notes

Characters

Character	Description
Raphael Fernández	14-year-old dumpsite boy; lives with his aunt and cousins in Behala. Finds José Angelico's bag and refuses to give it to the police. Brave, loyal, and curious. One of the main narrators.
Gardo	Raphael's best friend; serious, protective, and strategic. Acts like an older brother. Helps organise the prison visit and negotiates with Marco. Also a narrator.
Rat (Jun-Jun)	11-year-old orphan; once lived on the dumpsite but now stays in the sewers. Clever, fast, and streetwise. Distrustful but loyal to Raphael and Gardo. Comes up with the plan to scatter the money. A narrator.
Father Juilliard	Foreign priest who runs the Mission School. Compassionate, especially towards Rat. Helps collect and present the boys’ story through their taped interviews. Calls them “the greatest liars in the world.”
Olivia Weston	Young English volunteer at the Mission School. Kind but naïve. Unknowingly helps Gardo reach Gabriel Olondriz in prison. Forced to leave the country. Narrates part of the story.
José Angelico	Former servant for Senator Zapanta. Stole $6 million in bribe money to return to the poor. Dies from police torture. Leaves clues for the boys. Pia Dante’s father.
Senator Zapanta	Corrupt and hypocritical politician aiming for the vice-presidency. Steals money meant for the poor. Has José tortured and previously framed Gabriel Olondriz.
Pia Dante	José Angelico’s daughter. Found starving in the cemetery. Reunited with the boys and escapes with them to Sampalo, using her father’s plan to return the stolen money.
Frederico Gonz	Maker of grave memorials. Hired by José to create a false grave for Pia, where the money is hidden. Briefly narrates his own section.
Raphael's Aunt	Guardian to Raphael. Struggles to feed her family. Cares for him and his cousins at Behala.