Weston is a middle-aged former B-24 bomber pilot and the highly erratic patriarch of the failing Tate farm. He has a severe alcohol addiction and a volatile temper, frequently disappearing for long stretches before returning in destructive rages. His susceptibility to get-rich-quick schemes and reliance on credit plunge his family deep into debt with dangerous loan sharks. Despite his massive failings, he harbors a deep-seated desire to acquire land and connect with an idealized version of the American Dream.

Ella is the burned-out, highly critical mother of the Tate household. She harbors intense phobias about germs and contamination, viewing her family's squalor with revulsion. Desperate for an escape from her abusive husband and chaotic life, she deludes herself with fantasies of selling the farm and retiring to Europe. She frequently neglects her children's emotional needs, preferring to focus on her own secret arrangements.

Wesley is a young man in his late teens or early twenties who attempts to maintain the failing family avocado farm. Clad in jeans and cowboy boots, he serves as the primary caretaker of the property and acts as the family's reluctant voice of reason. Despite his efforts to clean up the messes left by his parents, he carries an internalized fear that he possesses the same explosive temperament as his father.

Emma is the rebellious, barely pubescent daughter of the Tate family who immerses herself in 4-H projects and escapist pulp fiction. As she transitions into young adulthood, she grows increasingly hostile toward her dysfunctional environment and formulates elaborate fantasies of running away to Baja California. She adopts a tough, hard-boiled persona to cope with the emotional starvation of her household.

Taylor is a slick, fast-talking lawyer and real estate speculator who preys on vulnerable farming families. He uses complex legal jargon and promises of wealth to manipulate both Ella and Weston independently. He represents the encroaching corporate forces seeking to replace agricultural land with suburban developments.

Ellis is the mobster-like owner of the Alibi Club, a local downtown bar frequented by Weston. Adorned with gold rings and a cross, he is a blunt, opportunistic businessman who uses his patrons' addictions to his advantage. He envisions turning the desperate family's property into a neon-lit steak house with a miniature golf course.

Sergeant Malcolm is a highway patrolman who deals with the fallout of the Tate family's public disturbances. He represents the outside world's formal law enforcement, bringing cold legal reality into the isolated chaos of the avocado farm.

Emerson is a small, well-dressed, and distinctly sinister man who works as a loan shark enforcer. He brings a casual, darkly comic cruelty to his work of collecting debts from desperate people, finding amusement in the destruction he causes.

Slater is a dangerous gangster and debt collector who works closely with Emerson. He treats violence as an amusing pastime, openly gloating about his use of explosives and intimidation tactics to secure payment from his boss's debtors.

The Lamb is a sickly, maggot-infested farm animal brought indoors for rehabilitation. It serves as a silent presence during the family's escalating chaos and becomes a focal point for both Wesley's caretaking impulses and Weston's rambling stories about the past.