Jérémiah :

At the beginning of the saga, Jérémiah is in his teens. He must have lost his parents as he lives with his aunt Martha. Having grown up in a happy environment, a far cry from the kind of society where only the strong survive, Jérémiah is full of good principles and disarmingly naïve. Ingenuous, he believes that the world is perfect and is run with equal justice. However, through contact with his "friend" Kurdy, and especially the rest of the world, he is forced to notice and admit that the world is a ruthless place. His adventures leave his idealistic and pure heart filled with a painful bitterness. Although he thought he would never be capable of committing any misdeed, he finds himself obliged to steal and to kill. In "Le cousin Lindford" he will have to steal petrol. Disillusioned by his observation of human stupidity, he tries, sometimes in vain, to keep up his position of the dispenser of justice. He does it in a playful way, ever scornful of a world in which he doesn't accept the rules, nor the romanticism. These wandering adventurers, Kurdy and himself, are only happy when they don't take sides, because the ideal situation doesn't exist.

Kurdy :

Kurdy is a character steeped with irony having grown up in surroundings deprived of any affection. He talks about his childhood in "Les Eaux de Colère" His father used to beat him, and lock him in a dustbin for hours when he told lies. He has never experienced any tenderness which accounts for his loutish attitude. As he has no morals, he is in his element in this world, where he steals and kills remorse-lessly. He is like a rat, always getting away with what he does and never hesitating to desert his fellow accomplices (Boomerang). When he smells trouble, he doesn't think for a minute about leaving Jérémiah to fend for himself. Despite the complicity that he shares with Jérémiah, his character is hard to define but he will never become a decent bloke. Don't forget that he would even be capable of killing Jérémiah for millions of dollars, even if he would regret it afterwards… (This would in fact be marvellous, because he would discover a human dimension that he isn't aware of.)

Stonebridge :

This is one of the few characters that we come across in more than two of the albums. He is on the same footing as Kurdy, for that matter, he doesn't think twice about handing him over as a "guinea pig" to the demonic scientist. (Un cobaye pour l'éternité) He does this, even though they have committed theft together. Employed by different tyrants, swindlers and other wrongdoers, the only thing he believes in is making money. He always comes out unscathed, in order to glean over the next dirty deed.

Hermann's ideas on women are based on the contemporary way of life. There is a hidden fear of women. Several prototypes are shown throughout his work.

Martha :

(Jérémiah's Aunt) :She is a despicable character, a little cantankerous and puritan. She sees Kurdy as the worst company that Jérémiah can keep. In "Trois motos... ou quatre" , she thinks nothing of handing Kurdy in to the enemy, in order to get him out of "her Jérémiah's" life. However, as he comes out unharmed, she hypocritically shows him how delighted she is.

Lena :

"A little rich girl", who has had a spoilt and carefree childhood, but following her father's death, she is abandoned and plunges into the hard reality of the ordinary world. Jérémiah is responsible for getting her out of her depression. She represents the acceptance of society and Jérémiah will be tempted to marry her in order to end his dissolute life, but he won't do it [see illustration] (Boomerang). In "La ligne rouge" he explains the reason for his choice when he says : "It would never have worked… I 'd have to drop everything, build a love nest with loads of things inside…! In order to lay eggs". Afterwards she'll have somebody's child, and will then become a hostess in a brothel.

The little girl :

Hermann often favours the presence of young girls. The symbol of pure innocence in a universe full of bitter violence. For example, little Winnie, held in a ship cabin in "Un hiver de Clown", who is ignorant to the fact that her parents have been killed by her hosts.

The Tomboy :

Sharita, in "Du sable plein les dents", is the merciless leader of a gang of petty street thieves. She is hard-hearted, and commits suicide rather than joining the militia.
Alex, the heroine of the adventure : "Alex" doesn't think twice about torturing a Japanese soldier, in order to find out the invasion plan. In "Trois motos…ou quatre", the Indian girl considers sexuality as a simple gym exercise, an anti-stress that we do with a stop watch.


The Whore :

Numerous prostitutes figure in Jérémiah. At the beginning of "Mercenaire", there is the scene of a prostitute's visit to the guardroom, a crude scene, both in image and in dialogue [see illustration]. In "Strike", the heroes' partners are just prostitutes who know how to give them a good time.