The speaker is an American traveler arriving in Brazil after a long ocean voyage. Feeling physically and emotionally displaced, the speaker holds unrealistic expectations that the new country will immediately provide a better life and total comprehension. They observe the new environment with a critical, self-mocking eye, projecting their inner turmoil onto the mundane necessities of travel like postage stamps and soap.

Miss Breen is a seventy-year-old retired police lieutenant from Glens Falls, New York. Standing six feet tall with bright blue eyes and a kind expression, she travels alone and acts as a companion to the speaker. Despite her imposing physical stature and former profession, she experiences a moment of vulnerability when her skirt catches on a boat hook during the descent into the port.

The boy is an employee working on the tender that ferries passengers from the main ship to the port of Santos. He handles the boat hook during the transfer. His careless handling of the equipment causes it to catch on Miss Breen's skirt, prompting a mild reprimand from the speaker.