Rules of Civility

Eve is a gorgeous girl from the Midwest (Indiana). She is also Katey’s best friend and roommate. Eve’s father secured her a job at Pembroke Press, and though he’s well-off, Eve makes the decision to go it alone in New York and refuses money and aide from her family. Eve can be jealous and prone to anger, so Katey tries her best to let Eve deal with Tinker. Whenever it seems like Tinker might be more into Katey than her, Eve throws a tantrum. When the three get into a car accident, Eve is severely disfigured. She has to have reconstructive surgery, and ends up with a permanent limp and a scar on her face. With this, the “game” she and Katey play suddenly changes. Tinker remains by Eve’s side because he feels guilty, and Eve tells Katey to stop hanging around with them now that Eve must survive in the world and needs Tinker.

Eve and Tinker’s relationship turns romantic, and Eve moves up in society. When Tinker proposes after finding out that Eve is pregnant, however, Eve refuses. Moreover, she’s had an abortion in Paris. Eve takes a train to Los Angeles and lives there for the rest of the narrative, claiming that she never wants to return to New York again. She’s soon photographed as a close friend of Olivia de Havilland.

Tinker, also known as Theodore and Teddy, is a handsome 28-year-old banker. Tinker is a perfect example of money and class, at least to all outward appearances.

Though Eve and Katey think that Tinker comes from money, his situation is far different. Tinker’s father lost everything the family had when he was younger. He and his brother Hank, along with their mother, moved from one small house to the next. Tinker’s mother had set aside money for him to attend a nice school, but, when she was sent to a cancer ward, the father found the money and spent it. Tinker was kicked out of school and forced to start over. As a humble bank clerk, he met Anne and became her banker, following her to New York. It turns out that he and Anne have a love affair, and that Anne pays for all of his things.

Tinker gets into an accident where Eve’s face is disfigured. He tries to do right by her by marrying her, though it doesn’t work. Then he tries to reconnect with Katey, only for her to find out about his secret and want nothing to do with him. They eventually reconcile, but Tinker leaves his lavish lifestyle for one of toil, and looks like the happiest person in the world while doing it.

Tinker’s photos are glimpsed by Katey in the prologue, when her husband and she see two photos of him, one from 1938 and one from 1939. He looks wealthy but sullen in the 1938 picture, and roughshod but happy in the second one.

Wallace is an old friend of Tinker’s. The two went to school together at St. George’s. Wallace is from old money. Wallace is a kind and sensible man. He doesn’t care for anything showy. His shooting club is dilapidated to Katey’s eye, and she notes that he’s wearing a moth-eaten sweater. But Wallace likes simpler things. He knows and calls everyone by their first name, even servants. He doesn’t like parties or social events like other wealthy people in the narrative. He and Katey become good friends, after realizing that they’re not compatible as lovers. Wallace feels guilty about being given so much in life. He enlists in the Spanish Civil War and is killed.

Anne is a wealthy woman who comes from old money. She’s introduced early on as Tinker’s godmother, though by novel’s end it’s revealed that she’s actually Tinker’s lover and that she pays for their relationship. Anne is smart and witty, and she’s used to getting whatever she wants. She works as an almost worthy foil to Katey in the narrative. When Anne finds out that Tinker and Katey are romantically involved, she coolly suggests that she’s not concerned as some women have physical needs and others have emotional ones. Once Tinker leaves and Anne can’t find him, she tries her wiles on Katey but with no luck.