Philip entered the candy contest solely to seek revenge on Logan. He believes that Logan and his family kicked him out of Life Is Sweet during a tour of the factory. He thinks that by winning the contest, he can rub the experience in Logan’s face and make him feel bad about what he did to him. Philip’s mother died when he was little, but he doesn’t like to think about her because he believes “Looking back only kept a person trapped” (254). Much of what Philip has learned about winning and revenge comes from his father, the ruthless businessman, and from his corrupt older brother.

Reggie, Phillip’s father’s personal driver, drops Philip at Life Is Sweet. Reggie tries to be the voice of reason in Philip’s life, but Phillip rarely listens to him. Reggie is the only person who knows Philip’s secret: that he is drawn beyond his control to the violin. He is extremely gifted with the violin and can write and play music “as if the ghost of Mozart was whispering in his ear,” (259) but he’s ashamed of his gift because he knows his father wouldn’t take it seriously.