Who is Dr. Rannigan

Dr. Rannigan plays the role of the village doctor and nothing more for the majority of the novel. He cared for Stepmother, Briony, Eldric, Rose and others throughout. It is at the end of the novel when his personality comes out in his disappointment and rage at Briony for not wanting to recover during her trial, enraged at her acceptance of a fate that had not yet been decided.