# You Can’t Win — Character guide

> Key figures in You Can’t Win by Jack Black.

- [George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/george.md): George is a battle-scarred ex-soldier who parlayed an apprenticeship in a safe factory into a career cracking the very make of box he once studied, boasting he never worked a day outside prison since the army. His dead, 
- [Julia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/julia.md): Julia is one of Madam Singleton's girls, chattering and eating with a sparrow's energy, who impulsively invites the narrator on a Sunday horseback ride into the country. She arrives in faded clothes rather than silks bec
- [Sanc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/sanc.md): Sanc is a cellmate of the narrator whose favorite parody—'Oh, room rent, what crimes are committed in thy name!'—the narrator repeats to salve his conscience after robbing a sleeping man. His sanctimonious irony cuts thr
- [Smiler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/smiler.md): Smiler is a fellow traveler whose perpetual grin and criminal exploits end in his shooting, leaving the narrator charged and jailed. Yet the fact that the narrator was with Smiler and kept his mouth shut earns him instan
- [Mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/mary.md): Mary, known as Salt Chunk Mary, runs a dingy two-story house on the outskirts of Pocatello where she sells wine, women, and song to railroad men and gamblers, and where her first question is always whether you've eaten. 
- [Johnnie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/johnnie.md): Johnnie is an experienced road thief who takes the young narrator under his wing, teaching him to rip the owner's name from a stolen coat and to keep silent if the bulls grab them. He plans the Pocatello store job with m
- [Irish Annie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/irish_annie.md): Annie runs a saloon and boarding house that becomes a base of operations for the narrator, who is mistaken for her protector. She is a formidable, quick-tempered woman who defends her territory and her girls with brutal 
- [Jack Black](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/jack_black.md): Jack Black is a seasoned criminal navigating a world of violence and betrayal, where a wrong word can get a man killed. He is pragmatic and cautious, preferring to keep his true trade secret even when offered a softer li
- [Shorty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/shorty.md): Shorty built a respected business from a bare street corner after losing his legs under a train. He is proud, quick to anger when pitied, yet capable of warm humor with friends. His physical transformation and financial 
- [Swede Pete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/swede_pete.md): Swede Pete is a six-foot blond giant, popular for his laugh and generosity, who partners with the narrator on a card-marking scam. When he cheats the narrator out of his share, the betrayal turns a friendly acquaintance 
- [Cy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/cy.md): Cy is a bachelor who runs his bar alone, always drinking but never drunk, and dispenses favors that bind the community to him. He gives the narrator his first job and becomes an early template for a life of independence 
- [Father Caraher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/father_caraher.md): A priest who interacts with the narrator and other characters.
- [Gold Tooth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/gold_tooth.md): A criminal identified by his distinctive gold tooth.
- [Thomas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/thomas.md): A political figure and saloonkeeper in the underworld.
- [Miss Kate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/miss_kate.md): A woman of some standing in the criminal social circles.
- [Tex](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/tex.md): A cowboy-type character in the criminal milieu.
- [Madam Kate Singleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/madam_kate_singleton.md): A madam and influential figure in the underworld.
- [Judge Powers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/judge_powers.md): A judge who presides over cases involving the narrator.
- [Blacky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/blacky.md): A criminal known as Montana Blacky, who goes mad.
- [Cocky McAllister](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/cocky_mcallister.md): A boastful character in the underworld.
- [The Sanctimonious Kid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/the_sanctimonious_kid.md): A young criminal with a pious demeanor.
- [Judge Frank H. Dunne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/judge_frank_h_dunne.md): A judge who appears in the narrator's legal troubles.
- [Chew Chee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/chew_chee.md): A Chinese character encountered in the underworld.
- [Jeff Carr](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/jeff_carr.md): A dangerous criminal known as the murderous Carr.
- [Rebel George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/rebel_george.md): A character known as Rebel George.
- [Rochester Red](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters/rochester_red.md): A character known as Rochester Red.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/you_can_t_win_se/characters