Alas, Babylon

Mark is Randy’s brother. He is an officer in the Air Force and relays the initial telegram to Randy with the words, “Alas, Babylon,” signaling the coming nuclear attack. Mark is a devoted military man who sends his family to Fort Repose so that he can do his duty. He dies in the attacks. However, his children and wife are brave and resourceful, showing that his influence lives on.

Helen is Mark Bragg’s wife. Mark sends her and their children to live with Randy once he knows the attack is imminent. Helen is a strong person who takes care of the men in the house. She also shows some mental instability that may be related to the trauma of the attacks. At one point she thinks that Randy is Mark and kisses him. Lib describes her as “a person who requires love and is used to it. For many years, a man has been the greater part of her life. So she has this conflict—intense loyalty to her husband and yet need of a man to receive her abundance of love and affection” (303).

Dan is the town’s doctor. In many situations he is the most important and useful person in Fort Repose. Prior to the war, Dan grew skeptical about humanity’s fate and the innate goodness of people. The war galvanizes him and gives him a new sense of purpose. He is the only literal healer in a town of injured, sick, and increasingly desperate people. Dan takes his duties seriously, exposing himself to possible attack by highwaymen every time he is on the road. He is also brave and selfless enough to visit patients suffering from radiation sickness. The war reminds him that caring for others is a noble, necessary duty.