The speaker is a young child of Mexican heritage who deeply loves her grandfather. Possessing a vivid imagination, she navigates the confusing experience of watching a family member grow old and become ill. She processes her physical observations through sensory details and object associations, viewing the shifting realities of her home life with youthful innocence and a developing awareness of permanent change.

Abuelito is the speaker's aging grandfather, a generous and expressive man who communicates with his family in both Spanish and English. Before his physical deterioration confines him to his bedroom, he is an energetic presence who constantly seeks verbal reassurance of love from his relatives. He represents a steady, comforting anchor in the young speaker's life, associated with softness, warmth, and affectionate nicknames.