The Virgin Suicides Characters

The neighborhood boys are the collective narrators of the novel. Functioning as a Greek chorus, they use the first-person plural pronoun “we,” and it’s never made clear who, exactly, is speaking. Throughout the novel… read analysis of The Neighborhood Boys

Cecilia is the youngest Lisbon sister. At 13, she’s considered odd by her sisters and neighbors alike, largely because of her unique fashion sense. No matter where she goes, she wears a vintage wedding dress… read analysis of Cecilia Lisbon

Lux is the second-youngest Lisbon sister. At just 14, she’s considered the most desirable sister by the neighborhood boys, who keep especially close tabs on her. Lux is also the most adventurous sister, frequently… read analysis of Lux Lisbon

Bonnie is the middle Lisbon sister. She’s 15 when Cecilia takes her own life. As the middle child, she is somewhat reserved and doesn’t necessarily attract much attention, though this is also possibly because she… read analysis of Bonnie Lisbon

Seventeen-year-old Therese is the oldest Lisbon sister. She’s intelligent, practical, and (before she takes her own life) seems eager to move on from the tragedy of Cecilia’s suicide. She tells Kevin Head at the… read analysis of Therese Lisbon

Mr. Lisbon is Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary, and Therese’s father. He’s a math teacher at the local high school and is a meek, reserved man. He and Mrs. Lisbon have… read analysis of Mr. Lisbon

Mrs. Lisbon is Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary, and Therese’s mother. She’s very strict and is reluctant to give her daughters more freedom after Cecilia’s first suicide attempt, even though this… read analysis of Mrs. Lisbon

Peter Sissen is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. Before the suicides, Peter is the only neighborhood boy to ever enter the Lisbon house. This comes about because he helped… read analysis of Peter Sissen

Paul Baldino is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. It’s known throughout the neighborhood that Paul’s father, Sammy “The Shark” Baldino, is a powerful mobster, and the size and… read analysis of Paul Baldino

Trip Fontaine is a high school heartthrob who becomes enamored of Lux. The neighborhood boys are somewhat confounded by Trip, failing to see the appeal he has over high school girls and mothers alike… read analysis of Trip Fontaine

Kevin Head is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. Trip Fontaine chooses him as one of the boys to take the Lisbon girls to the homecoming dance. Kevin ends up… read analysis of Kevin Head

Joe Hill Conley is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. Trip Fontaine chooses him as one of the boys to take the Lisbon girls to the homecoming dance. Joe ends… read analysis of Joe Hill Conley

Parkie Denton is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. Trip Fontaine chooses him as one of the select few boys who will take the Lisbon girls to the homecoming dance… read analysis of Parkie Denton

Chase Buell is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. When the boys go over to the Lisbon house at the end of the novel with the intention of “saving” the… read analysis of Chase Buell

Tim Winer is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. The rest of the boys call him “the brain” because he’s smart. After Cecilia’s suicide, the boys get hold of her… read analysis of Tim Winer

Father Moody is the local priest. He visits the Lisbons after Cecilia’s death in an attempt to get them to open up about the tragedy. Like many of the neighborhood fathers before him, though… read analysis of Father Moody

Dr. Hornicker is the resident psychiatrist at the local hospital. He meets with Cecilia after her first suicide attempt and determines that she would benefit from independence, freedom, and a more active social life. Mr.… read analysis of Dr. Hornicker

Mr. Hedlie is an English teacher at the local high school, but he works odd jobs in the summers. Outside of school, he is—by all accounts—a hippie. Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon hire him to fix… read analysis of Mr. Hedlie

Sammy “The Shark” Baldino is Paul Baldino’s father. Everyone in the neighborhood knows he’s a powerful mobster. He is arrested and taken away shortly after the Lisbon daughters’ group suicide, and the boys seem… read analysis of Sammy “The Shark” Baldino

Dominic is an Italian boy living in the same neighborhood as the Lisbons. He impresses the neighborhood boys by talking about how in love he is with a girl named Diana Porter, eventually jumping… read analysis of Dominic Palazzolo

Uncle Tucker is a middle-aged man who lives in the boys’ neighborhood. Because of his drinking problem, he is often the only one awake late at night, so he ends up witnessing several intriguing… read analysis of Uncle Tucker