Maurice Bendrix

Bendrix is an acerbic narrator, who wants to hate Sarah and Henry but is drawn to them nonetheless. He is more experienced than they, and he is willing to resort to underhanded methods for gaining knowledge about them, but he loathes his own techniques and seems to envy Sarah and Henry their complacent marriage. He says at one point he sneers at convention, but he could never pry Sarah loose from Henry.

Henry Miles

At one point Bendrix describes Henry as ‘one of misery’s graduates’ (p. 14). Bendrix also describes him as “almost a conniver at his wife’s unfaithfulness” (p. 16). Bendrix says Henry has never been in love with Sarah, and he behaves toward her with a false formality.

Sarah Miles

Sarah is married to Henry, a fairly innocent and drab civil servant. She takes Bendrix as a lover, and experiences a mutual love with him...