Zadok Allen is a 96-year-old Innsmouth native, one of the few elders who still appears largely human. Loosened by the narrator's whiskey, he recounts in detail the history of Obed Marsh's pact and the Deep Ones.
His confession constitutes the story's central revelation, the primary means by which the reader learns the truth of Innsmouth. Throughout, he is visibly terrified of the Order of Dagon's watchful eyes.