ely ▁def ies ▁those ▁who ▁wrong ▁the ▁ones ▁he ▁lov es . ▁ ▁Ralph ▁Nick le by : ▁The ▁book ' s ▁principal ▁ant agon ist , ▁Nicholas ' s ▁uncle . ▁He ▁seems ▁to ▁care ▁about ▁nothing ▁but ▁money ▁and ▁takes ▁an ▁immediate ▁dis like ▁to ▁the ▁ideal istic ▁Nicholas ; ▁however , ▁he ▁does ▁har bour ▁something ▁of ▁a ▁soft ▁spot ▁for ▁Kate . ▁Ralph ' s ▁anger ▁at ▁Nicholas ' s ▁be ating ▁of ▁W ack ford ▁S que ers ▁leads ▁to ▁a ▁serious ▁r ift ▁with ▁his ▁nep hew , ▁and ▁after ▁Nicholas ▁inter fer es ▁with ▁his ▁mach in ations ▁several ▁more ▁times , ▁Ralph ▁schemes ▁to ▁deliber ately ▁hurt ▁and ▁hum ili ate ▁Nicholas ; ▁but ▁the ▁only ▁man ▁Ralph ▁ends ▁up ▁destroy ing ▁is ▁himself . ▁When ▁it ▁is ▁revealed ▁that ▁S mi ke ▁was ▁his ▁son , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁boy ▁died ▁h ating ▁him , ▁he ▁takes ▁his ▁own ▁life . ▁He ▁dies ▁without ▁a ▁will , ▁and ▁his ▁family ▁ref uses ▁to ▁take ▁his ▁property , ▁so ▁his ▁hard - ear ned ▁fortune ▁is ▁given ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁Crown ▁and ▁lost . ▁ ▁Catherine ▁" K ate " ▁Nick le by : ▁Nicholas ' s ▁younger ▁sister . ▁Kate ▁is ▁a ▁fairly ▁pass ive ▁character , ▁typical ▁of ▁Dick ens ian ▁women , ▁but ▁she ▁shares ▁some ▁of ▁her ▁brother ' s ▁fort itude ▁and ▁strong ▁will . ▁She ▁does ▁not ▁bl anch ▁at ▁hard ▁labour ▁to ▁ear n ▁her ▁keep , ▁and