The Westing Game Study Guide

Pair One

• Jacob "Jake" Wexler is a Jewish podiatrist, and a bookie on the side. He is married to Grace Wexler, whom he loves, but he also knows that she might never be happy with their life or financial situation. Jake is the father of Angela Wexler and "Turtle" Wexler.
• Madame Sun Lin Hoo is the Chinese immigrant wife of James Shin Hoo. She barely speaks English, and can usually be found working in Mr. Hoo's restaurant. It is rumored that Mr. Hoo married her for her sauce recipe. Madame Hoo also steals various items throughout the story in order to sell them and buy a trip back to China.

Pair Two

• Judge J.J. Ford , a black, intelligent, and serious woman, is suspicious of the game created by Mr. Westing, and instead of winning, her goal is discovering the past of every heir. She prefers to work alone, but uses her partner's ear for gossip to her advantage. She is racially very sensitive, and has a long-standing guilt over her debt to Sam Westing, who paid for her college education.
• Alexander "Sandy" McSouthers is the doorman at Sunset Towers. He previously worked at Westing Paper Products Corporation and claims to have been fired by Sam Westing himself for attempting to organize the workers. McSouthers is notable for his knowledge of Sunset Towers' gossip.

Pair Three

• Grace Wexler , married to Jake Wexler and mother of Angela and Turtle, is a fierce and self-centered woman who is obsessed with her own image. She favors Angela over Turtle, while largely ignoring Turtle. She claims to be Mr. Westing's niece, and she purports her name as Grace Windsor Wexler, although it actually is Gracie Windkloppel Wexler. Grace wants to be an interior designer.
• James Shin Hoo is a middle-aged Chinese man, owner of Shin Hoo's restaurant and former entrepreneur, as well as Madame Hoo's husband and Doug's father. He claims Mr. Westing stole his patent for the disposable diaper and appears bitter and moody for this reason. He suffers from ulcers, and he can often be seen yelling at his son to study.

Pair Four

• Tabitha-Ruth Wexler , also known as " Turtle " and " Alice " is an intelligent 13-year-old girl, whose main feature is her single, long, dark braid of which she is very protective. She excels at playing the stock market. She is very fond of both Sandy McSouthers and her partner Flora Baumbach, and she also loves her family, even though her sister Angela seems to be favored.
• Flora Baumbach is a shy 60-year-old dressmaker who becomes a maternal figure to her partner, Turtle. Her daughter, Rosalie, had Down syndrome and died of pneumonia at a young age. Her husband disappeared, and it is unknown whether he died or if there was a divorce. Flora is kind to everyone, and prefers to see the best in people.

Pair Five

• Christos "Chris" Theodorakis is a 15-year-old paraplegic teenage boy who is confined to a wheelchair due to his disease. Despite being handicapped, he is very intelligent, and also enjoys birdwatching. His brother, Theo, is very protective of him, and Chris also develops a temporary relationship with Sydelle Pulaski. Chris stutters and cannot control his muscles well due to his disease, but he is much more observant than he lets on.
• Dr. Denton Deere is a 25-year-old medical intern. He is engaged to Angela, but their relationship is not very loving. Dr. Deere is arrogant, and extremely proud of the medical industry. He has an obsession with giving diagnoses to almost everyone. He later becomes a neurologist.

Pair Six

• Bertha Erica Crow is an extremely religious 57-year-old woman. Tight and introverted, she works as a cleaning woman for Sunset Towers, while also operating a downtown soup kitchen for the homeless. She plays a major role in Westing's plot, as it is revealed that she was formerly Mr. Westing's wife.
• Otis J. Amber is a 62-year-old private investigator disguised as a delivery boy. He is often with Berthe Erica Crow, whom Sam Westing tasked him with watching. He assists Berthe with her soup kitchen.

Pair Seven

• Theo Theodorakis is a smart high school student, and very loyal to his family. He is protective of his brother Chris, and works hard in his parents' coffee shop. He is interested in becoming a writer, and also becomes friends with his partner, Doug Hoo.
• Doug Hoo is a high school track star, one of the best mile-runners in the state and a son of James Shin Hoo and Madame Hoo. Running is his passion, but his father often criticizes him for not studying.

Pair Eight

• Angela Wexler is a beautiful 20-year-old girl: fair, blonde, and very pretty. She is considered the 'perfect' daughter, often getting more attention than her sister Turtle. However, people only acknowledge her as an attractive object to be married to Dr. Denton Deere, and not an intelligent woman in her own right. Throughout the book, Angela grows in her independence and her distaste for being objectified.
• Sydelle Pulaski is a mysterious character, with seemingly no connection to Mr. Westing or the other heirs. No one pays any attention to her, so she tries her hardest to be noticed. She seems to have an affinity for Chris Theodorakis.

Other characters

• Samuel Westing was an extremely rich businessman who immigrated to the United States at a young age. Mr. Westing grew his Westing Paper Products business into a large corporation, partly by using tactics such as bribery and intimidation. However, Westing was very patriotic, and never smoked, drank, or gambled.
• Barney Northrup is a mysterious figure who sold all of the apartments in Sunset Towers to the various heirs. After this, he is rarely seen by any of the tenants.
• Julian R. Eastman runs Westing Paper Products in Mr. Westing's absence. He was a witness to Mr. Westing's will.
• Dr. Sidney Sikes is a good friend of Samuel Westing, and a witness to his will.
• Edgar J. Plum is the lawyer in charge of handling Samuel Westing's estate. He is very young, and fairly incompetent.