JOHN HALLOCK:-
He is a very successful writer of ghost stories. Whenever his publisher asks him for a new story, he is able to write one. Usually, he has no idea where the plot will come from; he suddenly gets inspiration and is able to produce a new story. This made him cocky and overconfident. But being a writer is not enough. He has a wilful and whimsical wife who seems to enjoy spending money on every new fad or fashion. In order to meet her demands, Hallock has to work as a bookkeeper in a warehouse. Hiss encounter with the ghost of Helen is a new and shocking thing as he is told that ghosts inspire him and give him all the ideas for his stories. He holds long and interesting conversations with the ghost and is dismayed by the threat that the spirits are going on strike unless people like his wife stop bothering them with their Ouija boards. He is witty, creative, caring and in moral dread of his wife Lavinia.
Lavinia.
She is john's wife she is a domineering person & at the same time she is interested in fashions and fads. She is a spendthrift as she has an alarming tendency to spend money on the latest fads and trends. Her latest craze is Ouija board (this shows that she likes novelty and thrills). She buys one & calls her friends for an Ouija party. But john & gladolia (lavinia's servant maid) do not like this. It is gladolia's ultimatum that makes her give up her Ouija board. She does not do it for her husband whom she is ready to leave. Hallock describes his wife as a very sensitive little lady. Hallock says that Lavinia couldn't even bare a mouse say boo to her. Like all the wife she is jealous. Lavinia can be easily influenced (we come to know of this from the way she was misled by her friends into believing that John was having an affair with a woman named Helen). She is suspicious and lacks trust in her husband.
