John Conlan is a main character and the narrator of the story. He is a troublemaker in the beginning. He doesn't like his family, and tried to “be himself” by smoking and drinking. He likes to something crazy around the place. When he pretended t be a charity worker to collect donation from the Pigman, he thought he should make friends because the Pigman is alone and needed to be comforted. He did many things to make the Pigman happy. At the end, he had a fight with someone that tried o steal something from the Pigman's home, and the Pigman misunderstand that he destroyed his stuff on purpose, that depressed the Pigman a lot, and lead to his death. I think John is not really a bad guy from the way he treated the Pigman. He needed a friendship to show his love.

Lorraine Jensen is the female main character in the book. She is an ordinary high school girl who strictly controlled by her mother. When she first met the Pigman, she felt nervous and thought she and John should not continue the relationship with the man. After spending some times with the Pigman, she overthrown her fear and continue to be friends with him secretly. After her mother found out about that did not even think that she did something wrong. I think Lorraine is a warm-hearted and gentle firl. She did not think of getting money from the Pigman, but just to find a true friendship.

The Pigman, Mr. Pignati is a very important character in the story. He is a mechanic whose wife had died. He tells a lot of jokes, but that did not benefit himself very much. He needed someone to comfort him. He collects piggybanks as a hobby and be friends with the animals in the zoo to cheer himself up. After he met with Lorraine and John, he made believe that they are his own kids. He treated them very well and delighted to have them as friends. He found hopes on John and Lorraine. He forgave them for lying and the broken piggybanks resulted from the fight. I think he is a pitiful but humorous man. His own pitiful story and his joke attracted the two teenagers.

John and Lorraine picked Mr. Pignati's phone number randomly from the directory in the game to keep a stranger talking. Lorraine tried to extend the time by pretending she's a charity worker. When they really collected $10 from the Pigman, Lorraine thought they were doing illegal things, and they should get away from him. John convinced Lorraine that they owed the Pigman something for the money, they have to do something for the Pigman, so they became the Pigman's friends that way.

As John and Lorraine visited the Pigman's house very often, the Pigman made them as at their home. John accidentally found a funeral bill of his wife in the house. After that, John and Lorraine treated the Pigman like their own father, and let him enjoy having a family. Their relationship seemed to be unbreakable.

After their friendship became deep, John and Lorraine did two things that depressed the Pigman. First, they told the truth that they were not charity wokers. The Pigman seemed forgave them, but he rushed to the hospital because of a heart attack. Then, they held a party to welcome him home from the hospital. The party became a chao when John got drunk and fought with a friend who tried to steal the Pigman's piggybank collection. The Pigman came home and saw his piggybanks were broken. He felt no hopes in the world.

The Pigman died at the end because his piggybank were destroyed and his animal friends died. It's very sad to see the Pigman dies, but their friendship did not end by his death. The two teenagers appreciate for their time with the special man. The story tells us that everybody needs a friend. A teenager needed a friend especially when he/she does not like the family. In reality, it is a very hard to find a friendship like taht, especially between the old man and the young adult.