Nameless characters

Cormorant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant

A nameless character in Cry, the Beloved Country, is the man from the reformatory. He is always referred to as the "young man" or the "young white man." This is unusual in the story because most of the white characters, however minor, are given names. Jarvis' wife, his daughter-in-law's brother, his daughter-in-law, Absalom's lawyer, etc. are all given names. The white characters with names seem more prestigious, upper-class, and separated from the indistinct black characters.
I think that Paton chose not to name the young white man to make him seem less like the upper-class white characters. He probably did this because the young white man works in the reformatory, helping the young black people, not far from Shantytown. He often crosses the social divide, such as when he helped Kumalo out the door at the courtroom. Leaving him nameless, like the minor black characters, puts him on the same level as them.