Nathu serves as Tamas’s failing conscience. He accepts the job of killing a pig, thinking that its corpse will be used for medical purposes. When the pig is thrown onto the steps of a Mosque instead, threatening to start a series of riots, Nathu blames himself. Although the novel is without a main character, Nathu comes closest to filling the role of protagonist. As he struggles with the implications of his actions, Nathu gives the reader a chance to consider the nature of personal responsibility. It is hard to blame him for taking a job, albeit an unsavory one. And yet, it is also true that, had he not killed the pig, it would never have become the galvanizing factor in the riots.  

Richard is the Deputy Commissioner, the representative of British power in this region of India. It is his job to govern the region on behalf of the British Empire. However, he does his job out of duty to Britain, rather than any affection for the people of India. Richard looks down on the Indian people and sees them as inferior beings who can only be improved by the white man’s presence.