Shuggie Bain Characters

Moira is Leanne’s mother, who has an extensive history of alcoholism. After Agnes’ death, Shuggie helps Leanne take care of her mother, who is living on the streets.

Bridie is a neighbor of the Bains in Pithead. Bridie is a straight-talker and gossip who immediately picks up on Agnes’s drinking and Shug’s absence. She helps Agnes figure out how to get on government disability so that she has benefits to support herself and her children.

The grocer in the Sighthill neighborhood. The older Mr. Kilfeather had an affair with Lizzie while Wullie was away at war. Later, his son employs an underaged Shuggie because he is not obligated to pay him a full wage.

Donald Jnr is Shug’s nephew who later marries Catherine. The couple move to South Africa, where Donald Jnr gets a job working in the mines, after which they cut off contact with Shuggie and Agnes.

Keir is a classmate of Shuggie’s in the East End. Shuggie has a crush on Keir and agrees to help him by hanging out with a friend of Keir’s girlfriend—Leanne.

A friend of Agnes’s when the family lives in Sighthill. When Shug offers to drive her home one night after cards, Agnes suspects Reeny of having an affair with him.

Ann Marie is another friend of Agnes’s from Sighthill. Ann Marie is a young and beautiful nurse with whom Shug carries on an affair. Shug quickly decides to end his relationship with her because of her attachment to him.

Nan is Lizzie and Agnes’s old family friend. She dominates in all the group’s card games. She also sells goods from the catalogue and is responsible for collecting debts from many of her friends.

A neighbor of the Bains when they live in Pithead. She is primarily friends with Leek and helps him arrange the one-year sobriety party for Agnes.

Anna is Agnes’s old acquaintance from her time in Sighthill. One New Year’s Eve, Agnes abandons Shuggie to go to Anna’s party, and Shuggie comes to find his mother at the woman’s apartment.

Mr. Darling is Shuggie’s neighbor in the boarding house in the South Side. Mr. Darling pays inappropriate attention to Shuggie, despite him being underaged.

Father Barry is the principal at Shuggie’s school in Pithead. The other kids tease Shuggie about having a sexual relationship with Father Barry.

Lachlan is Shuggie’s classmate who, like Shuggie himself, gets bullied. Lachlan makes fun of Shuggie with the other boys one day, and the two end up fighting in the schoolyard.

Johnny is an older boy in Pithead who takes advantage of Shuggie one day when he is alone in the neighborhood.

Mary-Doll is a young friend of Agnes’s from Alcoholics Anonymous.

Several unnamed classmates of Shuggie’s make fun of him for his accent and feminine self-presentation.

Mary-Doll is young friend of Agnes’s from Alcoholics Anonymous.

The cab driver picks up Shuggie to take him into the city to find Agnes at a New Year’s Eve party. In the cab, he molests Shuggie.