Who is the antagonist in the novel, The Year of the Runaways?

Gurpreet is an immigrant laborer who works with Avtar and Randeep for much of the novel, eventually being taken to the hospital after a fistfight with Randeep. He is a highly cynical character who represents the moral and emotional effects of prolonged exposure to a relentless and competitive environment. Sahota deliberately refrains from exploring Gurpreet’s life prior to his introduction to Avtar and Tochi, thus creating a range of potential possibilities for Gurpreet’s original personality. Sahota does provide evidence, however, that Gurpreet has become more cynical throughout his time in England. He once believed in the tenants of hard work and perseverance, but now doubts their importance in the context of an illegal labor market. Gurpreet has made the moral decision to care only about himself and his objectives; he is not necessarily a villain in the novel, but his instinct for self-preservation leads him to commit desperate and violent acts. Furthermore, his cynical personality causes him to frequently intimidate the other characters and predict that they will become more like him.