Maria is a diminutive, unmarried, and aging Catholic woman working as a scullery maid in a Protestant laundry. She lives a solitary life with very little social or financial power. Despite her menial position and the teasing of her coworkers, she aspires to middle-class gentility and tries to maintain an illusion of contentment in her narrow world.

Joe is a middle-class Dubliner who, along with his brother, was cared for by Maria when they were children. After his birth family broke up, he helped secure Maria her current position at the laundry. He possesses a volatile temper that is easily aggravated by his frequent alcohol consumption.

Mrs. Donnelly is Joe's wife and a practical, middle-class mother. She manages the chaotic energy of her household and attempts to smooth over her husband's irritable moods. While she welcomes Maria into her home for the holiday, her attitude toward the older woman borders on condescension.

The matron manages the Protestant Dublin by Lamplight laundry. She represents the middle-class authority that governs the working-class Catholic women employed at the facility. Maria deeply admires her and views her as a model of refinement.

Lizzy is a loud, working-class woman employed at the laundry alongside Maria. She is boisterous and prone to teasing Maria about marriage during their traditional Halloween games. Maria privately dismisses Lizzy as a common woman to elevate her own sense of status.

An older, stout man with a square red face and a grayish mustache. He appears to be a middle-class, "colonel-looking" gentleman who has been drinking. He is the only passenger who makes room for Maria on the tram.

Two young neighborhood girls who attend the Donnellys' holiday party. They lack respect for Maria and use the traditional blindfold games as an opportunity to entertain themselves at her expense.

Alphy is Joe Donnelly's brother. Like Joe, he was cared for by Maria when he was a child. He and Joe have had a severe falling out, leading to an estrangement that Maria desperately wishes to fix.