Rhoda Brook is the ex-lover of the rich farmer. She, now 12 years later, has his child and has long since been discarded by him. She is essential to the story as it is based around the consequences of her obsession with Gertrude, the farmer's new wife. Tom is the Negro at Maycomb Jail, charged with the rape of Mayella. He is key to the book as it is a tale depicting prejudice in South America and he is the main focus of Harper Lee's portrayal of the racial hatred in Maycomb, which was an everyday occurrence.
Rhoda is isolated from the rest of her community and is the cause of much gossip for the other milkmaids, who exclude her "Milked somewhat apart from the rest" and whisper of her scandalous dealings with their boss, the farmer. In that period to not be married, but to be with child, was an offence so frowned upon that she became a social outcast. She lived alone with her son and had no friends; she even lived apart from the others "a lonely high spot" magnifying her isolation. She was also working class, so the world had no sympathy for her and life was hard. She is constantly referred to as "the milkmaid" so her social class defines her; Rhoda is described as "thin worn fading" all portraying her loss of beauty and her growing older and unattractive - the root cause of her neglection by the farmer. .
Tom is extremely isolated from the whites as, like all the Negroes, lives on a settlement segregated and set apart from the centre of Maycomb "Past the dump small Negro settlement". Negroes were social outcasts and did not mix with the whites unless working for them and then they spoke respectfully calling them "Sir" or "miss". He is also physically deformed, his left arm being crippled "rubber like hand". Ironically it was ruined by working in the cotton industry which made white men rich through the exploitation of coloured men. In addition, Tom is isolated in the justice system as with his skin colour also comes the stereotype of being a criminal.