The first few paragraphs of the story "The Rich Boy" seem so vague and general that you might ask yourself, "Well, who IS the rich boy? Who is this story about?" But the narrator does explain who the characters are as the story really begins. Let's consider all the characters important enough to play a noteworthy role in the story:
1. Anson Hunter. He is the main character and the "rich boy" from the title. He has a "keen and somewhat sardonic mind." He's handsome and seems obsessed with seeking pleasure in life. You can tell he's outgoing because he likes to tell people amusing stories. And, he's an alcoholic.
2. The narrator. He suddenly pops into the story as a character at the start of the ninth paragraph, when he says: "[Anson] and I first met in the late summer of 1917." They meet at a dance in a hotel. Anson was in the Navy, and the narrator was an officer as well, so they had that in common. Then we don't see much of the narrator until he pops back in toward the end of the story to comfort Anson when they find out that Paula has died.
3. Paula Legendre. A beautiful girl from California, and Anson's love interest. She's emotionally simple and fabulously wealthy, and she hates Anson's alcoholism.
4. Paula's cousin, called Cousin Jo. She's described as bitter and jealous of Paula's engagement to the rich and handsome Anson, but she's also naive.
5. Paula's mom, Mrs. Legendre. She doesn't approve of Anson's drunken behavior.
6. Anson's uncle, Uncle Robert. He helps Anson sober up and not make a further fool of himself; he takes care of Anson's family estate, and he's basically Anson's best buddy.
7. Dolly Karger. She's a society girl, boy-crazy, and loves to dance. She has a fling with Anson, but the whole time, Paula's picture is on his wall (meaning Paula is still in his heart).
8. Anson's mom. She wants Anson to be happy and find a girl to settle down with. She dies before Anson does so, though; he's just under thirty years old when his mom dies.
9. Anson's aunt, Aunt Edna, who's married to his Uncle Robert. She's cheating on him.
10. Cary Sloane. An angry alcoholic, and the guy who's having the affair with Edna. Somehow he ends up drowning in a river. (It's unclear how it happened.)
11. Anson's sisters. These unnamed girls are simply described as snobby and not very self-reliant.
12. Nick, a bartender who is friendly with Anson. His conversation with Anson helps show how lonely and sad Anson is becoming.
13. Peter Hagerty, the eventual second husband of Paula. She seems to love him dearly.
14. "The girl in the red tam." We don't know her name, but Anson has a fling with her at the end of the story. We can tell that he's still really lonely and that his girl isn't helping, but having flings is the only thing Anson knows how to do.
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