Ruth

Ruth is a pupil of Hailsham and one of the closest friends of the protagonist, Kathy. Ruth has an almost obsessive need to control situations and to fit in, both of which dictate how she acts, and the ways in which she mistreated her peers. As a child, she developed the ‘secret guard’ to protect Miss Emily against an imaginary plot to kidnap her, enabling her with the ability to control who was allowed in and out.