The main plot follows Victor, a young man from the upper middle class, who lives with his family in London. The story takes place in the Victorian Era. Every drabble is a continuation of the previous one, so even though you can start reading at any point, it's recommended to read the story from the beginning.
Victor: A young man, who dropped out of Oxford and his family is still mad at him for it. He now has to work with his father, who has his own business. Thanks to that job, he meets Henry, who is the son of his father's client. One day, Henry invites him to the Chiswell Society meeting.
Henry (also known as young Mr Astley): He's a few years older than Victor and sometimes represents his father at business meetings. He's married and he and his wife live together in their own house. He got mostly married because of the pressure from his family and from society. He secretly attends the Chiswell Society meetings since he was invited by his first love interest when they were attending a university.
Emily: Victor's fiancé. She really likes Victor and was raised in a world where women are submissive housewives and that's how she envisions her future. But she always kind of hoped that she could do something else with her life.
Mrs. Dawes: Victor's mother. She's very religious and she wants Victor to have the life he's supposed to live (which in her eyes is to finish his studies, get married and have a good job). She still tends to treat Victor as a child because she thinks he's not responsible enough to take care of himself.
Mr. Dawes: Victor's father. He has his own business and he would like Victor to take over the business one day. That's a part of the reason he pressures him to work with him.
Jane: Victor's cousin. She's almost thirty and still single, therefore she's often the target of gossip. She got engaged to a man when she was 21 but then he broke off the engagement and since then, she is not interested in getting married.
The Chiswell Society: A secret club for men who like men. The only way to get in is to be invited by a member. The secrecy is necessary due to the criminalization of homosexuality at that time. They organize different meetings, parties etc. At most of them, they just drink and talk but occasionally the parties can get quite wild.
Other characters who can sometimes appear in the story are Henry's parents, his wife and other members of the Chiswell Society. I might add them in the future when we learn more about them.
