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Helpful, considerate, and kind, British import Nyles seems too good to be true. But there is truly nothing negative about Nyles: He is just that good. Dee’s initial suspicions of the tall, blond, blue-eyed premed student quickly vanish, replaced by attraction. Nyles has a cheerful nature, a penchant for dry humor, and a “breezy manner” that Dee thinks must be his way of coping with the death and stress of Alcatraz 2.0. Nyles was convicted of murdering his parents, but his case is on appeal. Nyles’s catchphrase, accordingly, is “diplomatic immunity.”

Nyles’s Postman-assigned role is “Euro geek,” and he fits it admirably. Nyles is intelligent. While he does not understand most of Ethan’s action-film references, he can clinically analyze Blair’s decapitation and discern that the other inmates and guards died from toxic gas. Nyles is warm, caring, and buff under his “lanky” exterior—as Dee discovers excitedly when he removes his shirt to bind her broken arm. Nyles’s character offers unconditional support to Dee throughout her quest for truth and justice.

Even Dee, who did not watch the Postman app, recognizes Griselda Sinclair. With her “long dishwater blond hair,” heavy makeup, and revealing outfits, Griselda embraces the Postman’s role of “edgy slut” (21). Griselda uses her sex appeal to boost her ratings so that she can stay alive on Alcatraz 2.0. She inspires fans’ fantasies, gaining hashtags like “#ConjugalVisitsForGriselda.” Griselda was falsely convicted of murdering her computer-hacker boyfriend and her roommate when she found them together. Griselda herself is an accomplished hacker.

There is initially no love lost between Griselda and Dee, who thinks Griselda is a cold, somewhat cowardly “bitch,” while Griselda thinks Dee is a self-righteous “Princess” who is wasting the limited time left in her life going up against the Postman. Griselda is sarcastic and often coarse but also frank. Griselda, Dee sees, “took no shit” (52). Dee thinks that Griselda is “unaffected” by Blair’s death, and callous and unfeeling in general, but the more Dee gets to know her, the more signs Griselda gives that she is suppressing her emotions. Griselda is devastated by Ethan’s death. Prickly Griselda acts as a foil, highlighting Nyles’s steadiness and compassion, Dee’s righteous courage, and Ethan’s exuberance and emotional honesty.

Ethan was studying to be a personal trainer when he was convicted of killing a client—which he did, in self-defense. Ethan is a huge “buff black guy” with a shaved head, and he is the “jock” of the group (35). Ethan also provides comic relief. Dee initially thinks Ethan is “airheaded” with his puppy-like exuberance and obsession with action films, which he quotes frequently, to the amusement—and exasperation—of his friends. His fixation on action-movie references even in the moments before his death is one example of the extent to which modern media has desensitized audiences to violence.

Ethan approaches danger and dinner with equal abandon—protein is important for a bodybuilder, after all. Ethan is a big character physically and emotionally. He has “beefy arms” and even his movements are large and expansive; he has trouble keeping still. Like his movie heroes, Ethan loves situations that involve physical violence and action. He is the group’s goofy, over-the-top heroic figure. Ethan is bisexual; he appreciates “hot dudes,” but he loves Griselda. He is perceptive enough to know that Griselda holds her emotions inside—and that she cares for him.

Dee’s boss at I Scream, Blair, was an Asian woman who lived with her wife across the bay in San Francisco. Dee counts herself lucky to have met Blair, who introduces Dee to the “rules” of Alcatraz 2.0—both the official guidelines and the inmates’ rules for survival. Blair’s cautions and warnings teach Dee what she should do to stay alive. Blair says that the role the Postman assigned her was “mouthy tomboy.” She is verbally defiant until she is killed by Gucci.

Griselda blames Dee for Blair’s death, which sets up more antagonism between the girls and feeds Dee’s guilt. Seeing the heart carved on Blair’s shoulder makes Dee realize that her past is coming back to haunt her and kill those she cares about. Blair’s character imparts information, serves as an early example of the Painiacs’ and the Postman’s power and brutality, and establishes a connection between Monica’s death and Alcatraz 2.0.

An “anonymous television mogul,” the Postman has never been seen or identified, and no one knows exactly who he is (2). The Postman proposed the idea of justice as entertainment to a receptive president of the United States, who allows the Postman to handle all capital punishment. The Postman subverted the already questionable ethics of this concept by fabricating convictions and bringing cute “inmates” to the island to boost profit. The Postman’s control over the island is absolute. The Postman’s name reflects his activity on social media, posting kills, elaborating them with gifs and sounds, and promoting the Postman app. It also reflects the old-fashioned definition of a postman as a bringer of news, good or bad. The Postman’s news for the inmates is always bad.

Readers learn from Kimmi that the Postman is the serial killer Prince Slycer and also her father. This makes the Postman the serial killer who used the white room in which Dee was held captive for his pre-Alcatraz 2.0 kills. Kimmi assumes the role of the Postman for almost the entire novel after Dee kills Slycer on her first night on the island. The chapters that feature the Postman’s perspective are narrated from Kimmi’s point of view, and Kimmi is responsible for the bulk of the deaths on the island. This surprise provides a plot twist, incorporating an unexpected family connection with a big reveal about the true nature of the current Postman. The character of the Postman—both Kimmi and her dad—also represents the dangers of privatizing and monetizing the justice system. The Postman both exploits and deepens The Desensitizing Influence of Social Media, using the app audience’s jaded appetite for violence to extract more profit from the justice system.