Evil (novel) - Characters

Characters

Erik Ponti is a teenager hardened by his abusive stepfather, who rebels against anyone who would use their authority to hurt people, fighting with peerless physical and intellectual prowess. He is the autobiographical alter ego of Jan Guillou.

Fyrtornet (Lighthouse) is a grunt in Erik's gang at the beginning of the novel. An outrageously large fourteen-year-old, he beats up those who owe the gang money and at one point fights Erik for the leadership of the gang.

Farsan (Dad) is a waiter at a high-class restaurant in Stockholm and Erik's father. A sadist who habitually makes up excuses to beat Erik - but never his little brother - and secretly lets his twin large dobermanns loose to kill a small dog who enters his property, for his amusement.

Pierre Tanguy is chubby, unathletic, bespectacled and maybe the most brilliant student ever at Stjärnsberg. He is mostly left alone by bullies who consider him "no challenge", until his friendship with Erik makes him a target. The exception to the rule against teachers abusing students, he is ridiculed by the history teacher who uses his body to point at examples of "undesirable" qualities.

Otto "Skitenhielm" ("Shittyhielm") Silverhielm gains the highest authority among the students' ranks during Erik's second year at Stjärnsberg, and uses every opportunity to punish his subjects physically. He seems to thoroughly enjoy hitting people, leading to discussions about him being evil, sadistic or a victim of misdirected aggression.