Delirium

Alex is Lena’s 19-year-old romantic interest. He was born in the area outside of civilization known as the “Wilds,” making him what society calls an “Invalid.” Raised by the community of outsiders, he did not grow up believing the American government’s lies about love being a disease. His parents were Portland citizens who fell in love and planned to run away. However, his father was captured before they could escape and eventually died in the government prison known as the Crypts. This knowledge radicalized Alex even more as he matured. At age 10, Alex snuck into Portland to help with the resistance, falsifying his cure scars and living situation so that he could exist under the radar. He works as a guard at a medical facility, a position that gives him special access to areas not open to regular citizens. He is secretive about his work with the sympathizers, leaving room for exploration of his character in the other books in the series.

Finding Portland’s rules and walls suffocating, he gravitates toward Lena immediately, perceiving her as “awake” whereas everyone else is “asleep” (230). He sees a kindred spirit of resistance in Lena, and he helps to expand her worldview further by revealing to her the various deceptions of the government—namely the truth about her mother. He is kind, charming, curious, and understanding. He is open with Lena about his life in the Wilds, the place he considers his home, even risking their safety to sneak into the Wilds for a brief visit. He wants to share his life and knowledge with Lena despite the danger. Whereas Lena is primarily afraid of love as a disease, Alex fears the tyranny of the government. He knows firsthand that the government has the power to separate him from Lena, just like his parents were separated from each other, and this knowledge drives him to sacrifice his own well-being at the end of the novel, allowing himself to be captured so Lena can escape into the Wilds. This mimics his parents’ love story, bringing the idea of true love full circle across generations.

Hana is Lena’s 17-year-old best friend who is scheduled to have the cure around the same time as Lena. They have been best friends since second grade and have shared everything together. Hana functions as a reminder of the nostalgia of youth, as Lena often has flashes of wistfulness after her interactions with Hana. After the cure, they will no longer be best friends, for their closeness will be replaced with cold, dispassionate acquaintanceship. This knowledge inspires Lena to make the most of their favorite hobby: jogging. She enjoys the closeness of running alongside Hana and racing around town together.

However, the girls’ differences outweigh their similarities so much that Lena feels inferior to Hana both physically and emotionally. Lena considers Hana to be more beautiful and worthy of boys’ attention. She also envies Hana’s boldness, fearlessness, and freethinking nature. In this way, Lena transforms Hana into her own foil. Moreover, Hana’s initial disobedience rivals Lena’s initial closed-mindedness, yet by the end of the novel, they trade roles. Lena becomes an awakened revolutionary who fights for her freedom, while Hana chooses to remain complacent in her predestined life even when Lena invites her to join in her escape. Ultimately, Hana highlights the consequences of rebellion that remains superficial and passive; without meaningful action against oppression, true revolution cannot be achieved.

Carol Tiddle is Lena’s aunt, her mother’s sister, who takes Lena and her sister, Rachel, into her household after their mother ostensibly dies. Carol has been cured and together with her husband, William, she has one daughter, Marcia. When Marcia’s scientist husband was accused of being a sympathizer and disappeared, Marcia was indicted in his place and died of a heart attack shortly afterward. Marcia’s two daughters, Jenny and Grace, also live with the Tiddles. Jenny is an obnoxious nine-year-old with whom Lena does not get along. Grace is a curious six-year-old whom the family thinks is mute because they have never heard her speak aloud; she only speaks to Lena secretly. Grace also keeps quiet about Lena’s midnight escapes and helps to free Lena from the physical restraints imposed on her by the rest of the family. The Tiddles (except Grace) are pro-government conformers; they believe in keeping the order of things. They enforce the rules and believe wholeheartedly in the cure, which is why they hold Lena captive in the end after they believe she has been “infected.” Still, Lena often notes that Carol sometimes becomes angry and frustrated. She seems like she wants to say more than she physically can, as if she has forgotten how to communicate clearly because of the inhibitions imposed by the cure.