That Was Then, This Is Now characters

Appears from the start

A sixteen-year-old Tulsa boy who narrates the story. Bryon has grown up running small scams and looking for excitement with Mark, but he is beginning to question habits that once seemed natural to them both. His changing judgment puts pressure on the brotherlike bond at the center of his life.

Appears from the start

Bryon's closest friend and adopted brother, an orphan who has lived with the Douglas family for years. Charming, fearless, and skilled at getting out of trouble, Mark still treats danger and rule-breaking as games and assumes that he and Bryon will always stand together.

Appears from the start

Bryon's mother, who has raised Mark alongside her own son and regards both boys as family. Her illness and the household's shortage of money force Bryon to think more seriously about work and responsibility.

Appears from the start

The young owner of the bar where Bryon and Mark spend time and try to hustle pool players. Charlie is tough, perceptive, and protective of the boys despite being exasperated by their recklessness.

First appears in chapter 2

Cathy Carlson's gentle younger brother, nicknamed for his initials. Small for his age and committed to nonviolence, he wears his hair long and tries to understand people rather than fight them, making him vulnerable in Bryon and Mark's harsher social world.

First appears in chapter 2

M&M's older sister and a girl Bryon remembers from childhood. After returning to Tulsa she and Bryon begin spending time together. Her concern for her brother and her directness encourage Bryon to look beyond his usual loyalty to Mark.

First appears in chapter 4

A former girlfriend of Bryon's who is now connected with Ponyboy Curtis. Attractive and socially confident, she remains resentful about the way Bryon ended their relationship and becomes part of a cycle of humiliations and retaliation among the teenagers.

First appears in chapter 4

Angela's brother, a hard-edged local boy with a grudge against Mark. His hostility reflects the neighborhood rivalries that Bryon and Mark have long accepted as ordinary.

First appears in chapter 4

A badly injured young man whom Bryon visits in the hospital. Mike's account of how an attempt to help someone became a racially charged assault unsettles Bryon's simple ideas about blame, gratitude, and whether people can be divided neatly into good and bad.