Linnet is a beautiful, extremely rich heiress with a “clear-cut businesslike mind” (73) and an “eager, alive, dynamic” (12) face:

She was used to being looked at, to being admired, to being the centre of the stage wherever she went. She was aware of the keen glances bent upon her—and at the same time almost unaware of them; such tributes were part of her life. She came ashore playing a role, even though she played it unconsciously (57).

Linnet wishes nobody harm, but as her readiness to seduce her best friend’s fiancé shows, she is also deeply selfish and unconcerned with the feelings of others. She appears to see herself as entitled not only to material wealth and social privilege, but also to other people’s affection, and, in particular, to Simon’s love. Although Linnet does come to suspect and feel that others hate her, she does not seem to understand the origins of their hatred. 

Jackie is “a small slender creature with a mop of dark hair” (18), the daughter of an absconded French count and an American southerner who lost her money on Wall Street. Completely broke, Jackie is too proud to accept money from her oldest and closest friend, Linnet, whom she met while studying at a French convent school.