Toby Beach

Toby is a popular classmate of James, even though the boy is "fat and placid." He teaches James that "if you had a pony and your father owned the bank, they wouldn't laugh at you." Toby's father offers James a job at his bank that, in his dream, he rejects. In reality, though, James becomes a successful banker after accepting the position.

John Q. Dixon

In James's dream, one afternoon John Q. Dixon gets stuck in Bladesburg while traveling to New York City. James finds the courage to talk to the man, who is considered to be a "pirate" by the New York press. Dixon is James's hero, and he models himself after the man whom he believes has succeeded in realizing the American dream. Dixon is the epitome of the soulless robber baron of the early part of the twentieth century. His eyes can "look through...