Minor Characters
Palat
Shevek’s father, a sad-eyed man who raised Shevek alone from infancy. Palat died when Shevek was just a teenager while attempting to rescue children caught in the rubble of a building destroyed in an earthquake—a perfect model of Anarresti selflessness.
Gvarab –
An Anarresti scientist and teacher at the Institute in Abbenay. An elderly woman whose life’s work has revolved around theories of time and simultaneity, her classes are not well attended, and only Shevek seems to revere her work and her ideas.
Saio Pae
A Urrasti physicist whom Shevek comes to see as his “enemy.” Duplicitous, opportunistic, and shady, Pae is loyal to the Ioti state but takes pride in his snakelike ability to find his way around rules and authority.
Demaere Oiie
A Urrasti scientist from the state of A-Io and one of Shevek’s escorts and guides during his stay at Ieu Eun University, Oiie welcomes Shevek into his home on several occasions so that Shevek can experience Urrasti home life, and introduces Shevek to his freewheeling sister, Vea.
Tirin
One of Shevek’s childhood friends, and one of the masterminds behind a cruel experiment carried out by their friend group. After learning about the concept of prison, Shevek, Tirin, and Gibesh lock their friend Kadagv in a makeshift cell and leave him there for extended periods of time.
Kadagv
One of Shevek’s childhood friends, and the victim of their friend group’s cruel prison experiment.
Gibesh
The youngest of Shevek’s group of childhood friends.
Desar
A mathematician and one of Shevek’s neighbors at the Institute in Abbenay. Though Desar is ordinarily aloof and unbrotherly, he helps care for Shevek in the wake of his brief illness.
Sadik
Shevek and Takver’s firstborn daughter.
Pilun
Shevek and Takver’s youngest daughter.