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The Tunnel Under the World characters

By Frederik Pohl, Gabriel Perez

Every entry below is hidden until you open it, and each names the chapter the character first appears in.

Guy Burckhardt (Protagonist)

Appears from the start

An office worker in the city of Tylerton who wakes from a terrifying dream of an explosion and begins an apparently ordinary June 15. He is observant, skeptical, and increasingly disturbed by aggressive advertising and by small signs that the world around him is not behaving normally.

Mary Burckhardt (Supporting)

Appears from the start

Guy's wife, who shares his morning routine but does not understand why he remains shaken by his nightmare. To Guy she initially seems calm, familiar, and entirely at home in the ordinary life he is trying to recover.

Henry Swanson (Supporting)

Appears from the start

A coworker of Guy's who behaves with unexplained fear and urgency. Swanson tries to persuade Guy that the strange events around them are part of a real pattern rather than fatigue or imagination.

Dorchin (Antagonist)

Appears from the start

The figure associated with the hidden organization behind Tylerton's altered reality. Dorchin is encountered only after Guy pushes beyond the boundaries of the city and demands an explanation.

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