Who is Dr. Samuel Skinner?

Dr. Samuel Skinner is the antagonist of the novel. He is the one responsible for keeping Billy and Chrissie apart at all costs. He had treated Billy when Billy was a child and disliked him because he thought his mother brought him to the doctor too often. He did not take into consideration that Alice’s biological son had died of consumption and that she did not want to lose Billy in a similar way.

When Dr. Skinner learns that Chrissie has snuck out of the house to go dancing at the Buccaneer, he hits her across the face, causing her to fall and hit her head on the stone floor of their home. He does not appear to be concerned that she might be seriously hurt but instead leaves her laying there.