That Was Then, This Is Now: Cast of Characters

Bryon Douglas:

He is the sixteen-year-old narrator and the protagonist of the novel who lives with his mother and his best friend, Mark, in Oklahoma. The reader witnesses him experiencing a year of hardship and the acute pangs of growing up.

Mark Jennings:

He is a fifteen-year-old boy who has been living with Bryon and his mother for six years. He is a sharp, good-looking boy who is adept at hustling and stealing.

M&M Carlson:

He is Bryon and Mark’s thirteen-year-old friend. M&M is inspired by the values of peace and freedom promoted by the Hippie counterculture, and who is experimenting with drugs. He is, however, transformed after a particularly nasty experience with acid.

Cathy Carlson:

She is M&M’s sensitive and intelligent older sister. She loves her brother dearly and is seen as someone who is anxious for his well-being. She dates Mark for a while, who ruins their relationship due to self-loathing. Later, she dates Ponyboy Curtis.

Bryon’s mother:

She is a widow who adopts young Mark. She is compassionate towards the two boys but does not meddle in their personal lives.

Mike:

A teenage boy who is found in a hospital room across Bryon’s mother. He has been beaten up by a group of black men when he was dropping a black girl home. He, however, tells Bryon that though he was only trying to help the girl, he does not feel resentful towards black people because he had been assaulted.

Mr. and Mrs. Carlson:

Parents of Cathy and M&M. They have several children and appear to be a happy family. However, Mrs. Carlson is unable to comprehend the changes M&M experiences and ends up alienating him with her criticism.

Angela:

A beautiful girl who is Bryon’s girlfriend. She hails from an unhappy home, consumes alcohol, and courts trouble. Mark gets beaten up and ends up in the hospital because of her. He takes revenge by cutting off Angela’s hair.

Curly and Tim Shepard:

Angela’s thuggish brothers who are enemies of Mark and Bryon. In the beginning of the novel, they had attacked M&M. Later, they beat up Bryon for the incident related to Angela’s hair.

Ponyboy Curtis:

A greaser like Mark and Bryon and is, overall, a pleasant character. Angela likes him but he does not feel the same way towards her. He later dates Cathy.

The Texans:

Two men whom Bryon and Mark hustle at pool. One of them calls himself ‘Dirty Dave.’ They murder Charlie in a fight later and are sentenced to life in prison for their crime.

Terry:

A greaser like Mark and Bryon who also happens to be their friend. Bryon is at his house when Curly and Tim Shepard beat him up.

Randy:

A hippie who offers Mark and Bryon a ride to the hospital in his van.

Cat and Red:

Two other hippies who are older than M&M. Bryon meets them in the commune house. Cat appears to be on drugs and sleeps with Mark. Red is the one who informs Bryon and Cathy that M&M has been having a bad trip.