They are a collective presence throughout the story. His unwavering support of Kurtz makes him humble and admirable. He is more or less attracted to the glamor of adventure. He is so young that it is uncertain whether or not he fully understands what he is doing in Africa. Kurtz's devoted companion, he is an idealistic explorer who has wandered to the Congo on a Dutch ship and has been caught in the web of Kurtz's obsessive ivory hunt. The Brickmaker is unlikable, cunning, and contemptible. He never actually makes bricks supposedly he is waiting for the delivery of an essential ingredient. He is the so-called first agent, who is the Manager's pet and spy. He makes people uneasy, and the only explanation Marlow offers is that he is 'hollow.' Brickmaker The Manager would like nothing more than to surpass Kurtz in the ivory trade and see him dead, so that he would no longer interfere with the competitive trade. He seems to have an ability to outlive those around him. Yet he masks this crudeness behind a civilized demeanor. Marlow's direct supervisor, he is a hard, greedy man who values power and money above all else. He is the unique victim of colonization the wilderness captures him and he turns his back on the people and customs that were once a part of him. Hailed universally for his genius and eloquence, Kurtz becomes the focus of Marlow's journey into Africa. He is in charge of the most productive ivory station in the Congo. Still, he is intended to be a versatile character, one of the few who does not belong to a distinct class, and he thus can relate to different kinds of people with more ease than his peers. In many respects, the worldview of Marlow is that of a typical European. He also has a good work ethic he views working hard as a means of achieving sanity. He possesses a strong interest in the past.

The protagonist and main narrator of the story, he stumbles into Africa looking to sail a steamboat and finds much more.

Heart of darkness author