Pride & Joy Characters

Joy Squirrel is the central figure: a market soup-seller and mother who becomes pregnant by her neighbour Eddie Mallory and hides the baby's paternity from her husband Samuel. She is defined by longing for motherhood, financial hardship, and fear of scandal, and later by grief and protective love for Ralph. She builds a life in Battersea, takes in lodgers, and faces repeated threats from Val, Mr Lockton, and Cara.

Arc: After Samuel kills Eddie and drowns on the Titanic, Joy raises Ralph, refuses Ronald's proposals, and survives Cara's betrayal and a landslide. By the end of the notes she remains rooted in Battersea, protective of Ralph, and chooses not to marry Ronald.

• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — her son
• Samuel Squirrel — her husband
• Eliza — her mother
• Edward 'Eddie' Mallory — neighbour and father of Ralph
• Val Mallory — neighbour and antagonist
• Dotty — close friend
• Betty — friend
• Anne Bartley — close friend
• Ronald — suitor she refuses
• Mr Skelton — lodger and friend
• Cara Ramsey — woman who falsely claimed to be her half-sister
• Lilly — young woman she helps and shelters

Ralph Samuel Squirrel is Joy's son, born after her affair with Eddie Mallory, and raised to believe Samuel is his father. He becomes a market trader, forms a close bond with Mr Skelton, and is drawn to protect Lilly from her abusive father. He is central to the later family revelations and to the staged burglary of Mr Thorby.

Arc: He learns Eddie is his biological father, meets his Mallory half-brothers in Kent, survives the landslide, and helps stage Thorby's burglary. He grows from a child into a market man who tries to protect Lilly and rebuild ties with Joy.

• Joy Squirrel — his mother
• Samuel Squirrel — the man he believes is his father
• Edward 'Eddie' Mallory — his biological father
• Mr Skelton — honorary grandfather figure
• Bobby — half-brother
• Fred (Val's son) — half-brother
• Stanley (Stan) — half-brother
• Beatrice — girlfriend who ends their relationship
• Lilly — friend he tries to help
• Ronald — older friend Joy refuses
• Charlie — childhood friend

Val Mallory is Eddie's widow and Dotty's sister; she blames Joy for Eddie's death and publicly attacks her. She is drunk, aggressive, and determined to reclaim her sons, though later notes show her trying to reform. She also plots with Cara and helps in the staged burglary of Mr Thorby.

Arc: She moves from violent antagonist to remorseful mother seeking contact with Fred, Stan, and Bobby, and she helps Joy and Betty stage Thorby's burglary.

• Edward 'Eddie' Mallory — her husband
• Dotty — her sister
• Joy Squirrel — rival and target of her anger
• Fred (Val's son) — her son
• Stanley (Stan) — her son
• Bobby — her son
• Cara Ramsey — accomplice
• Betty — neighbour

Eddie Mallory is Joy's neighbour and affair partner, and Ralph's biological father; he is drunken, boastful, and coercive. He blackmails Joy and taunts Samuel about the affair and Ralph's paternity.

Arc: He grabs Joy in the alley, claims Ralph as his son, and is punched by Samuel; he falls, hits his head, and dies.

• Joy Squirrel — affair partner and mother of Ralph
• Val Mallory — his wife
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — son he claims
• Samuel Squirrel — neighbour who kills him

Cara Ramsey is a young woman who arrives claiming to be Joy's half-sister; she is later shown to be impersonating and scheming for Joy's house. She abuses Ralph, murders Mr Skelton, blackmails Mrs Harvey, and murders Alfie Lee.

Arc: She insinuates herself into Joy's home, kills Mr Skelton to protect her scheme, is thrown out by Joy, and is later arrested for murdering the chauffeur.

• Joy Squirrel — woman she falsely claims as a sister
• Val Mallory — accomplice
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — boy she abuses and threatens
• Mr Skelton — man she murders
• Mrs Harvey — employer she blackmails
• Alfie Lee — man she kills
• Enoch — man she claims as her father
• Florence Ramsey — her claimed mother

Mr Thorby is Lilly's violent father; he beats and rents her out, forces Ralph to agree to marry her, and threatens to kill Ralph if he refuses. He is drugged at Joy's dinner and becomes the victim of a staged burglary.

Arc: His abuse leads to the plot against him; after the staged burglary his case is sent to the Crown courts.

• Lilly — his daughter
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — forced son-in-law-to-be
• Joy Squirrel — woman who drugs and traps him
• Anne Bartley — plotter against him
• Betty — plotter against him
• Val Mallory — woman who helps carry and strike him

Mr Lockton is Joy's neighbour and a would-be blackmailer; he accosts her over Ralph's paternity and publicly corroborates Val's accusation. Joy learns of his visits to Charing Cross Road and Gerty Donner and threatens to expose him.

Arc: He remains hostile to Joy, though her knowledge of his secret gives her some power over him.

• Joy Squirrel — neighbour and harasser
• Val Mallory — corroborates her public accusation

Mrs Macey is a woman who performs abortions for money; she operates on Dotty with a crotchet hook and leaves her bleeding and in agony. Neighbours defend her as a helper of desperate women, though Joy confronts her.

Arc: She is confronted by Joy but no legal outcome is noted in the notes.

• Dotty — woman she operates on
• Joy Squirrel — woman who confronts her

Samuel Squirrel is Joy's husband, a gardener with a bad back who feels put-upon and inadequate because of poverty and unemployment. He does not want a child at his age and believes he is Ralph's father until Eddie taunts him about the affair. His pride makes him reject taking over Joy's stall.

Arc: He kills Eddie with one punch, flees to the Titanic using Eliza's money, gives his life jacket to Joy Milligan, and drowns with her when the ship sinks.

• Joy Squirrel — his wife
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — the son he believes is his
• Eliza — his mother-in-law
• Edward 'Eddie' Mallory — neighbour he kills
• Mr Brettle — former employer
• John Lally — Titanic cabin mate
• Tom Lally — Titanic cabin mate's brother
• Fred Gorman — stranger who rescues him from the flood
• Joy Milligan — young woman he comforts on the Titanic

Eliza is Joy's mother, protective and scandal-averse, who urges Joy to pass Ralph off as Samuel's and never reveal the truth. She knits for her unborn grandchild, defends Samuel, shelters the family, and gives Samuel money to flee. She is a longtime friend of Betty and a neighbour of Val.

Arc: She supports Joy through Samuel's death and Dotty's troubles, but after overhearing Betty call Joy tarnished she ends their friendship and dies in her armchair.

• Joy Squirrel — her daughter
• Samuel Squirrel — her son-in-law
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — her grandson
• Betty — longtime friend
• Val Mallory — neighbour
• Enoch — her deceased husband

Dotty is Val's estranged sister, Joy's dearest friend, and Ned's wife; she raises her own children and later takes in Val's three boys. She is loyal to Joy, frightened of another pregnancy after a difficult birth, and increasingly ill after a near-fatal abortion.

Arc: She survives Mrs Macey's abortion, faces Val's hostility, and dies of Spanish flu after Ned returns from the war, asking Ned to keep Val's boys as their own.

• Val Mallory — her estranged sister
• Ned — her husband
• Joy Squirrel — best friend
• Betty — friend and confidante
• Charlie — her son
• Minnie — her daughter
• Johnny — her son
• Fred (Val's son) — nephew in her care
• Stanley (Stan) — nephew in her care
• Bobby — nephew in her care
• Mrs Macey — woman who performs her abortion

Betty is Eliza's longtime friend and Ronald's mother; she is judgmental about Joy's past but later becomes a practical support. She reveals Joy's affair to Ronald and falls out with Eliza, then regrets it. She hosts family gatherings and helps in the plot against Mr Thorby.

Arc: She warns Ronald away from Joy, ends her friendship with Eliza over the revelation, later comforts Joy, helps stage Thorby's burglary, and encourages Ronald's renewed suit.

• Eliza — longtime friend
• Ronald — her son
• George — her husband
• Joy Squirrel — friend
• Dotty — friend and confidante
• Val Mallory — neighbour she helps
• Nancy — daughter-in-law
• Pippa — granddaughter
• Kenny — grandson

Ned is Dotty's husband and a worker who feels neglected; he enlists during the war and returns with a bad cough. He cares for the children and promises to keep Val's boys if anything happens to Dotty.

Arc: He returns from war, loses Dotty to Spanish flu, blames himself for bringing the illness home, and moves to Kent with the children to be near Hazel.

• Dotty — his wife
• Charlie — his son
• Minnie — his daughter
• Johnny — his son
• Val Mallory — sister-in-law
• Hazel — his sister
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — host and friend in Kent
• Bobby — family member

Ronald is Betty's son, who returns from Australia, proposes to Joy, then leaves; he later returns with a new wife, Nancy, and announces her pregnancy. After Nancy leaves him, he renews his offer to Joy and brings his children to meet her.

Arc: He proposes to Joy, marries Nancy, returns with Nancy, then is later left by her and asks Joy for another chance, which Joy ultimately refuses.

• Betty — his mother
• George — his father
• Joy Squirrel — love interest he proposes to
• Nancy — his wife who leaves him
• Pippa — his daughter
• Kenny — his son

Mr Skelton is an old market customer and lodger, kind and frail, who becomes Ralph's honorary grandfather. He moves into Joy's home after his damp room worsens his health and helps care for Ralph.

Arc: He is pushed downstairs by Cara and dies, leaving Joy and Ralph to grieve him.

• Joy Squirrel — landlady and friend
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — honorary grandson
• Cara Ramsey — woman who kills him
• Morris Backsly (Morris) — man who vouches for him as a lodger
• Betty — friend who tells him about Ronald

Anne Bartley is Joy's close friend and Tom's wife; she supports the unemployed march, helps plan the Thorby trap, houses Lilly, and helps at Mary's birth. She treats Lilly like a daughter and remains a steady support to Joy.

Arc: She remains loyal to Joy, reconciles with Tom after their argument about the march, and cares for Lilly and her baby.

• Joy Squirrel — close friend
• Tom (Anne's husband) — her husband
• Lilly — young woman she houses and supports
• Mary — helps deliver and praises her
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — friend and Joy's son

Lilly is a thin, poorly dressed teenage girl abused and prostituted by her father; she is forced toward Ralph and gives birth to Mary. She is distrustful and hardened by abuse but later finds support from Joy and Anne.

Arc: She is pressured by her father to marry Ralph, gives birth to Mary on Christmas Day, and later plans to bring Ralph and Fay Westonbrooke together.

• Mr Thorby — her abusive father
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — man her father forces her to marry
• Joy Squirrel — woman who helps and shelters her
• Anne Bartley — caregiver and friend
• Mary — her daughter

Bobby is Val's son; he has no bad memories of her and agrees to meet, and he later helps Ralph search for Joy after the landslide. He becomes Ralph's companion and Charlie's business partner.

Arc: He meets Val or agrees to, helps Ralph during the landslide rescue, and grows closer to his newly found brother.

• Val Mallory — his mother
• Fred (Val's son) — his brother
• Stanley (Stan) — his brother
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — half-brother
• Charlie — cousin and business partner

Fred is Val's son who refuses to see her because of bad memories; he is initially cold to Ralph but later joins the Kent family Christmas. He is one of the Mallory brothers who welcomes Ralph into the family.

Arc: He remains estranged from Val while gradually accepting Ralph as a brother.

• Val Mallory — his mother
• Stanley (Stan) — his brother
• Bobby — his brother
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — half-brother

Stanley, called Stan, is Val's son who stands with Fred in refusing to see their mother. He later encourages Ralph to stay for Christmas and teases him and Bobby.

Arc: He remains estranged from Val but accepts Ralph into the family.

• Val Mallory — his mother
• Fred (Val's son) — his brother
• Bobby — his brother
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — half-brother

Charlie is Dotty and Ned's son; he is Ralph's childhood friend and later Bobby's business partner. He moves to Kent with the family after Dotty's death.

Arc: He moves to Kent with Ned and continues as part of the extended family.

• Dotty — his mother
• Ned — his father
• Minnie — his sister
• Johnny — his brother
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — childhood friend
• Bobby — business partner and family member

Minnie is Dotty and Ned's daughter; she helps send Ralph's telegram and teases Bobby. She moves to Kent with Ned after Dotty's death.

Arc: She remains part of the Kent family and helps keep contact with Joy through Ralph's telegram.

• Dotty — her mother
• Ned — her father
• Charlie — her brother
• Johnny — her brother
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — family member
• Bobby — family member she teases

Johnny is Ned and Dotty's young son; Ned meets him on returning from the war. He is part of the family that moves to Kent.

Arc: He remains a minor family figure in the Kent household.

• Dotty — his mother
• Ned — his father
• Charlie — his brother
• Minnie — his sister

Morris is a market costermonger, friendly to Joy and willing to vouch for Mr Skelton; he defends Joy from Val's attack. He is later reported killed in action.

Arc: He helps Joy and Mr Skelton before being killed in the war.

• Joy Squirrel — market friend and colleague
• Val Mallory — man who forcibly removes her from Joy
• Mr Skelton — man who vouches for him as a lodger

Louis is a market boy hired by Joy for heavy lifting; he helps during her labour and later comforts her after Val's attack. He says he likes Joy and rejects Val's accusations.

Arc: He remains a loyal helper to Joy.

• Joy Squirrel — employer he helps and likes

Mr Brettle is Samuel's head gardener employer; he values Samuel's work but says his bad back makes him too slow. He lays Samuel off but gives him a good reference.

Arc: He dismisses Samuel because of his back and walks away when Samuel curses him.

• Samuel Squirrel — employee he lays off

Harry Ferminger is a market inspector and friend to Ralph; he tells Ralph about a larger pitch and warns him about Thorby. He accompanies Ralph to the Pine Tavern.

Arc: He helps Ralph's business prospects and tries to protect him from Mr Thorby.

• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — friend and market inspector
• Mr Thorby — man he warns Ralph against

Beatrice is Ralph's girlfriend of two years; she is jealous and insecure and ends their relationship after the Thorby accusation. She refuses to believe Ralph and accuses him of flirting.

Arc: She cuts Ralph off rather than accept his explanation.

• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — boyfriend she rejects
• Joy Squirrel — Ralph's mother, who doubts she is right for him

Tom is Anne's husband and a war veteran whose confidence is shattered; he distrusts Joy and warns Ralph about Thorby. He argues with Anne about the march, then admits feeling in the way and apologizes.

Arc: He reconciles with Anne and remains a cautious friend to Ralph.

• Anne Bartley — his wife
• Joy Squirrel — Anne's friend whom he distrusts
• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — friend he warns about Thorby

Mrs Purssell is a stranger who sees Joy in labour, helps her home, and assists with Ralph's birth. She offers to fetch a doctor and stays to help.

Arc: She aids Joy during childbirth and has no later arc noted.

• Joy Squirrel — stranger she assists in labour
• Elvira — her daughter
• Val Mallory — assists alongside her at the birth

Elvira is Mrs Purssell's daughter; she watches Ralph's birth and asks what Joy will name him.

Arc: She remains a minor figure present at the birth.

• Mrs Purssell — her mother

Joy Milligan is a young Titanic passenger who has lost her family; Samuel comforts her, gives her his life jacket, and promises to stay with her. She shares Samuel's wife's first name.

Arc: She drowns with Samuel when the Titanic sinks.

• Samuel Squirrel — stranger who comforts her and stays with her

John Lally is Samuel's Titanic cabin mate; he feels the jolt and flees with his brother Tom when water floods the cabin.

Arc: He escapes the cabin with Tom; no later fate is noted.

• Tom Lally — his brother
• Samuel Squirrel — cabin mate

Tom Lally is John's brother; he bursts into the cabin shouting that water is coming and flees with John.

Arc: He escapes the cabin with John; no later fate is noted.

• John Lally — his brother
• Samuel Squirrel — cabin mate

Fred Gorman is a stranger on the Titanic who pulls Samuel from the flood and gives him a life jacket. Samuel later loses him in the panic.

Arc: He helps Samuel escape the flooding cabin but is lost in the crowd.

• Samuel Squirrel — man he rescues

Mr Stafford tells Joy that police are near her home and that a murdered body has been found.

Arc: He provides plot information and has no further arc noted.

• Joy Squirrel — acquaintance who brings police news

Mrs Potter is the handywoman called to Lilly's birth; she examines Lilly, says a doctor is needed, and is dismissed by the doctor.

Arc: She helps at the birth but is pushed aside by the doctor.

• Lilly — handywoman attending her birth
• Joy Squirrel — woman who hires her

Mary is Lilly's daughter, born on Christmas Day; the vicar refuses to baptise her as illegitimate. Joy holds her after birth and Anne calls her the loveliest thing.

Arc: She is born and remains a baby in the notes.

• Lilly — her mother
• Joy Squirrel — woman who holds her after birth
• Anne Bartley — woman who helps deliver and praises her

Pippa is Ronald's daughter; she resents Joy, refuses her hospitality, and smashes Betty's wireless. She says she does not like Joy and wants to go back to her grandmother.

Arc: She remains hostile to Joy and is a source of tension in Ronald's renewed suit.

• Ronald — her father
• Kenny — her brother
• Joy Squirrel — woman she says she does not like
• Betty — her grandmother

Kenny is Ronald's son; he accepts Joy's milk and biscuit and reports Pippa's mischief.

Arc: He remains a minor figure in Ronald's family.

• Ronald — his father
• Pippa — his sister
• Joy Squirrel — woman he meets through his father

Clemmy is a friend who meets Joy outside the hospital and gives her stolen bromide sedatives, warning her never to ask again. She fears losing her job and hoped-for promotion.

Arc: She provides the sedatives used against Mr Thorby and has no later arc noted.

• Joy Squirrel — friend she trusts with stolen sedatives

Mrs Harvey is a housekeeper who dismisses Cara over her past and is blackmailed into giving a reference. She wants to protect the household's reputation and her own schemes.

Arc: She is blackmailed by Cara and gives her a reference.

• Cara Ramsey — kitchen maid she dismisses and is blackmailed by
• Alfie Lee — employee who tells her about Cara's past

Alfie Lee is a chauffeur who harasses Cara, tells Mrs Harvey about her past, and is stabbed by Cara. He calls for help as he bleeds.

Arc: He is murdered by Cara after confronting her.

• Cara Ramsey — woman he harasses and who kills him
• Mrs Harvey — employer he tells about Cara

Arthur Dove is a scruffy, homeless young man rejected by the army for malnourishment; Joy feeds him and advises him to try the factories. He wants work so he and his brother can rent a room.

Arc: He remains a minor market figure whom Joy helps.

• Joy Squirrel — market trader who feeds and advises him

Hazel is Ned's sister; she hosts Dotty in Kent, suggests a cottage is available, and keeps calm after the bomb blast. She takes charge and sends Stretch to check the rectory.

Arc: She remains a calm support to Ned's family in Kent.

• Ned — her brother
• Dotty — her sister-in-law
• Stretch — her husband

Stretch is Hazel's tall husband; he comforts Minnie after the blast and helps secure the house. He volunteers to check the rectory garden for injuries.

Arc: He remains a practical helper in the Kent household.

• Hazel — his wife
• Minnie — child he comforts

George is Betty's husband and Ronald's father; he feels neglected and spends time in his shed. He barely speaks during the reunion.

Arc: He remains a minor, disengaged figure in Betty's household.

• Betty — his wife
• Ronald — his son

Eileen is a brief courtship of Ralph's; he ends it gently and she says she will find solace in her books.

Arc: She is let down gently by Ralph.

• Ralph Samuel Squirrel — man she has been stepping out with

Mrs Ethel Dorry is Dotty's old school friend; she reports seeing Val in the cemetery with a woman resembling Joy.

Arc: She provides information that leads Dotty to see Val with Cara.

• Dotty — old school friend

Big Jock is a man who told Ned that Eddie claimed to be the father of Joy's baby.

Arc: He spreads the rumour that leads to Val's public accusation.

• Ned — source of the rumour
• Edward 'Eddie' Mallory — drank with him before the murder

Nancy is Ronald's wife; she arrives pregnant with him, then later leaves him, takes money, and abandons their children according to Ronald's letter. Ronald calls marrying her the biggest mistake of his life.

Arc: She leaves Ronald and is reported gone, with no one having heard from her.

• Ronald — her husband who says she left him
• Betty — mother-in-law
• Pippa — her daughter
• Kenny — her son

Enoch is Eliza's deceased husband and Joy's father; Cara's birth certificate names him as her father. Betty insists he would never have been unfaithful.

Arc: His alleged affair with Florence Ramsey underpins Cara's false claim to be Joy's sister.

• Eliza — his wife
• Joy Squirrel — his daughter
• Cara Ramsey — woman who claims him as her father
• Florence Ramsey — woman Cara names as his alleged partner

Florence Ramsey is Cara's mother, named in Cara's birth certificate and story; her alleged relationship with Enoch underpins Cara's claim to be Joy's sister.

Arc: She remains a background figure in Cara's false identity.

• Cara Ramsey — her daughter
• Enoch — man she is alleged to have been involved with