Ragged Dick characters

Also known as Ragged Dick, Richard Hunter

Appears from the start

A fourteen-year-old New York bootblack who has supported himself on the streets for years. Quick-witted, generous, and scrupulously honest despite his rough manners, he wastes much of his money on amusements but wants the education and steady work that could give him a more secure life.

First appears in chapter 2

A younger bootblack who has earned little and gone without breakfast. Dick treats him to a meal and tries to encourage him, showing the generosity that survives beneath Dick's streetwise humor.

First appears in chapter 4

A well-mannered boy visiting New York who needs a guide around the city. He accepts Dick's help without contempt for his poverty, and the day they spend together gives Dick a glimpse of educated, respectable life and a friendship across social boundaries.

First appears in chapter 4

Frank's prosperous uncle, who notices Dick's honesty and practical intelligence. He provides the bootblack with a decent suit before entrusting Frank to him and urges Dick to save money and work toward a better occupation.

First appears in chapter 13

An older and stronger street boy who tries to maintain authority among the bootblacks through intimidation. He resents Dick's improving appearance and circumstances and attempts to provoke and rob him.

First appears in chapter 15

A poor but educated orphan earning a precarious living by blacking boots. Dick invites him to share a room and proposes exchanging lodging for lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic, beginning a partnership that helps both boys advance.

First appears in chapter 17

A respectable gentleman whom Dick and Fosdick meet through church. He welcomes the boys into his home, treats them with kindness, and offers the social encouragement that accompanies their efforts at self-improvement.

First appears in chapter 21

A thief who gains access to Dick's room and steals his bankbook. He tries to withdraw Dick's savings by imitating his signature, putting the habits of thrift Dick has recently developed at direct risk.

First appears in chapter 26

A businessman and father whose small son falls from a ferry. After Dick risks his life to rescue the child from the river, Mr. Rockwell looks beyond the rescuer's occupation and offers him a position suited to his honesty and initiative.