These lists are roughly ordered from good to bad. There is no one right way to classify the characters in this book, and I found it very challenging. Here is my best shot.
MEN:
Hugh Miller- Hugh is at the top of my list because he was a man of his word and did not cause any conflict in the book. He quit his job when he did not agree with the Boss helping a corrupt man. This showed that Hugh stuck to his morals and was willing to make personal sacrifices for what he believed was right.
Sugar Boy- Sugar boy is near the top of my list because he is one of the few characters who sticks to his morals. Sugar boy came from a background of poverty, found his talent, and stuck to it. He is extremely loyal to the Boss, risking his own life to defend him. Even after the Boss and Adam Stanton's death, Sugar boy tells Jack that if he found out that someone had set up Adam to kill the boss, he would kill them and let himself be hanged. This shows how loyal Sugar boy is, and how strongly he sticks to his values.
George- George is the 'unfortunate' that the scholarly attorney helps. He is a neutral character, and does not do anything that could be called particularly good or bad. That is why he is in the middle of my list.
Adam Stanton- Adam Stanton is high on my list because he was a man who stuck to his views. He did not like the Boss and he did not try to hide it. Although he did accept the Boss' offer to run the new hospital, Adam did not compromise his values in doing so. These strong values and loyalty towards his family led him to make a rash decision in the end of the book, showing that maybe he was a little too set in his ways and should have been more open minded.
Jack Burden- I do not believe that Jack was a particularly good or bad character because he exercised very few personal decisions, and his morals/views on life seemed to be constantly changing. Jack let other characters push him around and tell him what to do. He was also quite pathetic and used the past, as well as the West, as a way to escape confrontation and any present problem. For this reason Jack never really DID anything. This being said he was not 'bad' in a moral sense, but was also not very likable and did not show any particularly strong positive traits.
Scholarly Attorney- The Scholarly Attorney is on the good side because, like the Judge, his good acts in life outweigh the bad. He did walk out on his wife and her child, but only because she had cheated on him with his best friend. What made him walking out so bad was that he did not stay in close contact with the wife and child, leaving Jack without a father. Later in the book, however, it is revealed that the Scholarly Attorney then dedicated his life to helping 'unfortunates' get off the street. This path in life is what makes him 'good'.
Judge Irwin- I believe the Judge is more towards the good characters because he stepped up and played a father role in Jack's life, wether he knew he was his father or not. It is true that the Judge did not have a perfectly clean slate, but his one act of corruption (accepting a bribe) was committed out of pure personal desperation.
Governor Stanton- The governor played a minor role in the book. From the perspective of a friend, he was good because he was loyal and protected the Judge. However, this made him politically corrupt, leaving him somewhere in between 'good' and 'bad'
Cass Mastern- Cass showed some 'bad' qualities by having an affair with his best friend's wife. However, in the end he proved to be a good, if not neutral character. Cass proved this when he went to retrieve Phoebe and eventually become an abolitionist (even though he fought for the confederate army).
Gilbert Mastern- Gilbert was a wealthy plantation owner. He tried to help his brother Cass get wealthy as well. Although he wasn't an overwhelmingly 'bad' character, Gilbert was greedy and held slaves, which is why he is lower on my list.
Tom Talos- Tom is a dumb kid. He makes the bad decision of drinking and driving, and he often stirs up trouble with his parents but he isn't an awful person. He was a stuck up teenager and his parents (and the state) expected a lot of him. His response led to many bad decisions, which is why he is towards the bottom of my list.
Willie Talos- Willie is originally just a young man from the country who see's what his state needs. However as his power grows, he becomes corrupt, as do many politicians. He has affairs with many women, and uses his political power to boss everyone around, taking advantage of many people. These changes of character put Willie 2nd to last on my list.
Tiny Duffy- Tiny looked solely for personal gain throughout the book. He was the classic, fat, skeevy politician, sucking up to all of the right people at the right time, however not hesitating to betray them once a better opportunity arose. The greatest example of this is that he set up the killing of the Boss, who he worked loyally alongside for years, so that he could take over the position of governor. For these reasons he is dead last on my list
WOMEN:
Lucy Talos- Lucy gets the short end of the stick in almost every aspect of her life. He husband cheats and is never home. Her son is a rebellious brat. She is left with a dilapidated old man to take care of, and when all 3 die, it is just her and her son's baby. Through all this however, Lucy keeps her head up and goes about her daily life, making her the best female character in the book.
Phoebe- Phoebe the slave is a minor character in the book. She never does anything wrong, and is ultimately sold to a harsh slave dealer just for finding a ring. Phoebe is second on my list because, from what the book shows of her, she is not bad in any way.
Lois- Lois is Jack's ex-wife. She married him for his name, which puts her slightly lower than other characters, but she really does no harm. It is Jack and his sexist thinking that causes their relationship to fail.
Anne Stanton- Anne is neither a good nor bad character in the book. Although she plays with Jack's heart a lot and engages in an affair with the Boss, it is only out of girlish love and not a true negative trait. Anne is also rather attached and needy to both Jack and her brother. She is, however, one of the more sensible characters and ultimately belongs near the top of the list.
Jack's mom- Although Jack's mom is in no way horrible, she lies to Jack and leaves him without a father. She seems to have some inner trouble and expresses it through her interactions with men. However, her character takes a positive turn at the end of the book when she is honest with Jack and herself and decides to move away for some time.
Annabelle Trice- Annabelle is the married woman who engages in an affair with Cass. The reason she is so low on my list is because she sells her slave to a dangerous slave dealer because she cannot bear the guilt when her husband kills himself and she thinks the slave might know about the affair. She put a young girl in an extremely dangerous and abusive situation just to ease her own mind.
Sadie- Sadie is the worst female character because she only thinks about herself. She falls madly for the Boss, who plays her just like other women, and then she becomes enraged and obsessed with him. She even helps to plan his murder when he finds out about him and Anne Stanton. Sadie is greedy and slimy, making her the last character on my list.
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