Donald Bogle identifies five recurring Black types: The Tom, Coons, mulattoes, mammies, and bucks; in the film there are no such stereotypical characters because the film is based on a real person who dealt with racial segregation and discrimination. For Cripps shared group value of how information is shared across, generations, class, and gender. The film an example class is when a character named Mrs. Maybry (Polly Bergen) a middle class white woman who Cliff assists. Mrs. Maybry helps educate Cliff by checking out books from the segregated library which are not available to blacks. Another example of is when the film introduces a character named Cleve (Richard Roundtree), the local iceman, who has hired Cliff to help him on his rounds.
