History YMMV / TheChrysalids

** [[SinisterMinister Joseph Strorm]] is protagonist David's [[AbusiveParents father]] and the worst of Waknuk's intolerant society. Out of [[KnightTemplar fanaticism]] and [[FantasticRacism bigotry]] towards those deemed "mutants" for abnormalities, Joseph brutally whips David for so much as making a joke about a third hand being useful to compete a complicated task. When a young David's childhood friend Sophie Wender is exposed for having a sixth toe, Joseph whips David until he denounces Sophie before exiling her to the dangerous Fringes. With decades of purges behind him, when Joseph discovers both David and his younger sister Petra are telepaths, he rallies a posse to hunt down and kill them, even going to war with the mutants of the Fringes when his children are taken captive by the denizen--not because he cares about them, but because they belong to him.

** [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]] who beats and whips David for an innocent joke about needing a third hand to do a complicated task. He also brutally whips ten-year-old David to get him to denounce his six-toed friend Sophie Wender; upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of his son. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepaths, he personally leads a posse to capture and presumably kill them. A man who frankly unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]] who beats and whips David for an innocent joke about needing a third hand to do a complicated task. He also brutally whips ten-year-old David to get him to denounce his six-toed friend Sophie Wender; upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of his son. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepaths, he personally leads a posse to capture and presumably kill them. A man who frankly unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.

** Katherine and Sally, who undergo torture to the point of death in order to keep the others safe. It makes it all the more heartbreaking that they eventually crack.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]] who beats and whips David for an innocent childhood remark about needing a third hand. He also brutally whips ten-year-old David to get him to denounce his six-toed friend Sophie Wender; upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of his son. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepaths, he personally leads a posse to capture and presumably kill them. A man who frankly unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.

* NeverLiveItDown: Joseph Strorm once slew a neighbor's tailless cat as a Deviation, without waiting for the outcome of an appeal to the authorites. ''Then'' comes confirmation that there is in fact a recognized species of tailless cat with a well-documented history. The inspector is fond of citing this embarrassing blot on Mr. Strorm's KnightTemplar reputation.

** David's Aunt Harriet, who has already given birth to two deformed children and is in danger of being divorced by her husband, if she gives birth to a third. Then there's Rachel, one of the telepaths, who during the climactic pursuit keeps the others in on what's happening back on the home front. [[ChildrenAreInnocent Little innocent Petra]] gets exasperated as Rachel's 'behind-thinks' become increasingly stressed: "She does cry an awful lot, that girl, doesn't she?"

** David's Aunt Harriet, who has already given birth to two deformed children and is in danger of being divorced by her husband, if she gives birth to a third. Then there's Rachel, one of the telepaths, who during the climactic pursuit keeps the others in on what's happening back on the home front. Little innocent Petra gets exasperated as Rachel's 'behind-thinks' become increasingly stressed: "She does cry an awful lot, that girl, doesn't she?"

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]] who beats and whips David for an innocent childhood remark about needing a third hand. He then brutally whips David to get him to denounce his six-toed friend Sophie Wender; upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of ten-year-old David. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepaths, he personally leads a posse to capture and presumably kill them. A man who frankly unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]], we first see Joseph's evil when he beats and whips David for an innocent childhood remark about needing a third hand. He then brutally whips David to get him to give up the location of his friend Sophie Wender so he can sterilize her. Upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of David, who is only 10 years old, just to hurt him. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepathic, and therefore blasphemies, he personally leads a posse to kill his own children and torture them, even though he had previously tried to spoil Petra. Joseph frankly unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Joseph Strorm]] is the [[AbusiveParents father]] of [[FirstPersonPerspective David Strorm]]. A [[SinisterMinister fanatical fundamentalist]], we first see Joseph's evil when he beats and whips David for an innocent childhood remark about needing a third hand. He then brutally whips David to get him to give up the location of his friend Sophie Wender so he can sterilize her. Upon Sophie's capture, he proceeds to smugly gloat about it in front of David, who is only 10 years old, just to hurt him. When it is discovered that David and his little sister Petra are telepathic, and therefore blasphemies, he personally leads a posse to kill his own children and torture them, even though he had previously tried to spoil Petra. A horrible fundamentalist who unnerves even the Inspector, whose job is to deal with blasphemies, Joseph represents [[FantasticRacism the worst of human intolerance]], seeing purity as more important than even his own children.