Previous
Pepper
Brian, along with Pepper and Wensleydale, is one of the members of the Them, Adam Young’s gang of 11-year-olds. He’s good-natured but is consistently dirty, and he seems to shed potato chip wrappers wherever he goes. Brian is fond of ideas that seem interesting to him, no matter how far-fetched they might seem to others. He also adores comic books with lots of explosions in them. As the grimiest member of the Them, Brian corresponds to Pollution, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He destroys Pollution when Adam and the Them confront the Four Horsemen during Armageddon (the end of the world).
Brian Quotes in Good Omens
The Good Omens quotes below are all either spoken by Brian or refer to Brian. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Wednesday Quotes
“I’ll call him Dog,” said his master, positively. “It saves a lot of trouble, a name like that.”
The hell-hound paused. Deep in its diabolical canine brain it knew that something was wrong, but it was nothing if not obedient and its great sudden love of its master overcame all misgivings. Who was to say what size it should be, anyway?
It trotted down the slope to meet its destiny.
Strange, though. It had always wanted to jump up at people but, now, it realized that against all expectation it wanted to wag its tail at the same time.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Saturday Quotes
“You don’t have to be so lit’ral about everything,” he said. “That’s the trouble these days. Grass materialism. ‘S people like you who go round choppin’ down rain forests and makin’ holes in the ozone layer. There’s a great big hole in the ozone layer ‘cos of grass materialism people like you.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Dog slunk along with his tail between his legs, whining.
This wasn’t right, he was thinking. Just when I was getting the hang of rats. Just when I’d nearly sorted out that bloody German Shepherd across the road. Now He’s going to end it all and I’ll back with the ole glowin’ eyes and chasin’ lost souls. What’s the sense in that? They don’t fight back, and there’s no taste to ‘em...
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Oh, if that’s all that’s worryin’ you, don’t you worry,” said Adam airily, “’cos I could make you all just do whatever I wanted—”
He stopped, his ears listening in horror to the words his mouth was speaking. The Them were backing away.
[...]
“No,” he said hoarsely. “No. Come back! I command you!”
They froze in mid-dash.
Adam stared.
“No, I dint mean it—” he began. “You’re my friends—”
[...]
Adam opened his mouth and screamed. It was a sound that a merely mortal throat should not have been able to utter [...]
Whatever had been standing in the old quarry before, Adam Young was standing there now. A more knowledgeable Adam Young, but Adam Young nevertheless. Possibly more of Adam Young than there had ever been before.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“What you’re all sayin’,” he summed up, [...] “is that it wouldn’t be any good at all if the Greasy Johnsonites beat the Them or the other way round?”
“That’s right,” said Pepper. [...] “Everyone needs a Greasy Johnson.”
“Yeah,” said Adam. “That’s what I thought. It’s no good anyone winning.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Good Omens LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Brian Character Timeline in Good Omens
The timeline below shows where the character Brian appears in Good Omens. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Thursday
...most mature member of the gang, insists that there’s no such thing as witches, while Brian doesn’t see why witches shouldn’t have their own paper. Pepper tells him to shut up....
(full context)
Adam sits and listens to the others argue, waiting for something to latch onto. Brian insists that his Sunday paper said there are thousands of witches in England who worship...
(full context)
...convenes after lunch. Adam is the Chief Inquisitor, while Pepper will be the Head Torturer. Brian and Wensleydale are guards because they don’t speak any Spanish. They decide to fetch the...
(full context)
Friday
Brian asks why they’re even called Unidentified Flying Objects, when they’re clearly flying saucers. Adam says...
(full context)
...Atlantis when it sank. Wensleydale insists that he would’ve stayed and worn a diver’s helmet. Brian is thrilled that in all that water, he wouldn’t have to bathe. Then, the Them...
(full context)
...an underground city—they have people all over the world in tunnels, listening to everything above. Brian wishes that they could learn this interesting stuff in school. The Them decides to play...
(full context)
Saturday
...all along. Pepper says that, according to her mother, witches were actually just intelligent women. Brian says that witches still might worship the devil. Adam, however, says that they actually worship...
(full context)
...nothing left for them when they grow up. Adam’s mood makes the world seem frightening. Brian suggests that Adam stop reading, but Adam ignores him. He says that just when you...
(full context)
...points to Pepper and says that she can have Russia, Wensleydale can have America, and Brian can have Africa and Europe. Dog will get Australia, since he needs space to run...
(full context)
...rats, and now he’ll have to go back to chasing souls, which seems pointless. Wensleydale, Brian, and Pepper feel helpless to resist Adam, while Adam isn’t thinking at all. He insists...
(full context)
...his friends to imagine what it’d be like if they could send away Greasy Johnson. Brian says that this would be great, but Pepper doesn’t think that life would be interesting...
(full context)
...bike as Dog runs excitedly behind. Pepper joins Adam on her own noisy bike, and Brian and Wensleydale soon follow. Wensleydale’s bike is black and sensible, while Brian’s white bike is...
(full context)
...looking even less human. Adam tells his friends that they’re not real, they’re just nightmares. Brian points to Pollution and notes that he’s melting, but Adam says this means it’s not...
(full context)
...swords connect. War’s sword falls down onto the path, Adam snaps not to touch it. Brian whines that War was sucked up into the sword. Suddenly, the air begins to vibrate...
(full context)
...having to tidy up everyone’s bedroom, and he has enough work keeping Pepper, Wensleydale, and Brian entertained. Confused, the Metatron says that Adam can’t refuse to be who he is—it’s part...
(full context)
Sunday (The first day of the rest of their lives.)
...Young is certain Adam is guilty of something. Adam looks up when Pepper, Wensleydale, and Brian call his name. There’s a circus over in Norton, and they want to watch it...
(full context)
