Minor Characters
Mr. Joseph Moody
Another clergyman who wears a veil. Hawthorne explains that Moody, a minister of a town in Maine, does so because he accidentally killed his friend as a young man. Hawthorne adds, cryptically, that Hooper’s veil has a different meaning than Moody’s.
Reverend Clark
Reverend Clark, a young priest from the nearby town of Westbury, is standing by Hooper’s bedside when he dies. He asks Hooper what crime caused him to hide his face, and listens in shock and amazement to Hooper’s response.
Squire Saunders
An old member of the Milford community who usually invites Hooper to dine with him after services, but doesn’t do so in the story because, it is strongly implied, once Hooper starts wearing the veil.
The physician
The physician thinks that Hooper is insane when he first puts on the veil, but also notes, perceptively, that men are sometimes afraid to be alone with themselves, foreshadowing Hooper’s discussion of sin and guilt.
The sexton
The first person to notice that Hooper is wearing the veil, the sexton quickly draws the entire town’s attention with his shocked response to Hooper’s changed appearance.