diff --git a/lib/ace/layer/gutter.js b/lib/ace/layer/gutter.js
index 190fa6f1..d7f43cab 100644
--- a/lib/ace/layer/gutter.js
+++ b/lib/ace/layer/gutter.js
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ var Gutter = function(parentEl) {
 
             var wrappedRowLength = this.session.getRowLength(i) - 1;
             while (wrappedRowLength--) {
-                html.push("</div><div class='ace_gutter-cell' style='height:", config.lineHeight, "px'>&brvbar;</div>");
+                html.push("</div><div class='ace_gutter-cell' style='height:", config.lineHeight, "px'>\xA6");
             }
 
             html.push("</div>");
diff --git a/lib/ace/layer/text.js b/lib/ace/layer/text.js
index b251d9bb..89b684bf 100644
--- a/lib/ace/layer/text.js
+++ b/lib/ace/layer/text.js
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ var Text = function(parentEl) {
 
     oop.implement(this, EventEmitter);
 
-    this.EOF_CHAR = "&para;";
-    this.EOL_CHAR = "&not;";
-    this.TAB_CHAR = "&rarr;";
-    this.SPACE_CHAR = "&middot;";
+    this.EOF_CHAR = "\xB6"; //"&para;";
+    this.EOL_CHAR = "\xAC"; //"&not;";
+    this.TAB_CHAR = "\u2192"; //"&rarr;";
+    this.SPACE_CHAR = "\xB7"; //"&middot;";
     this.$padding = 0;
 
     this.setPadding = function(padding) {