Sportcoat is a 71-year-old Black man living in the Cause Houses project in Brooklyn. A heavy drinker and former baseball coach, he is known for his gentle demeanor and long history of teaching Sunday school at Five Ends Baptist Church. He struggles with profound grief following the mysterious drowning death of his wife two years prior. His uncharacteristic decision to shoot a young neighborhood dealer sets off a chain reaction of chaos in the community.

Thomas is an Italian mobster who operates a smuggling business out of the local docks, using construction and storage companies as fronts. Known locally as "The Elephant," he inherited his criminal enterprises from his late father and feels trapped by the obligations of his underworld life. He lives with his elderly mother and longs for genuine companionship away from the daily grind of illegal shipments. He strictly opposes the hard drugs flowing into the nearby housing projects.

Deems is a 19-year-old resident of the Cause Houses who abandoned a promising college baseball career to enter the lucrative local drug trade. He commands respect and fear among his peers, rapidly climbing the ranks to control his own selling territory. Having grown up with emotionally distant relatives, he received significant care and mentoring from local church elders during his youth. He views his criminal enterprise as a practical path to financial security in an impoverished neighborhood.

Hettie is the deceased wife of Sportcoat, having mysteriously drowned in the local harbor two years before the main events of the story. During her life, she worked hard as a maid to support her family and forced her husband to integrate into the Five Ends Baptist Church community. She continues to exist in the narrative as a vivid hallucination that berates, guides, and argues with her grieving husband.

Sister Gee is the poised and organized wife of the local pastor. Despite feeling emotionally disconnected from her philandering husband, she serves as a central pillar for the Five Ends congregation and the broader housing project community. She carefully manages information flowing to the police, acting as a protective barrier between law enforcement and vulnerable residents.

Sister Paul is an elderly Black woman residing in a nursing home, far from her original Brooklyn neighborhood. As the oldest living member of Five Ends Baptist Church, she possesses firsthand knowledge of the congregation's founding. She carries memories of the early Italian immigrants and Black residents, acting as a living archive of the community's history.

Hot Sausage is a resident of the Cause Houses who works as the maintenance man in the building's boiler room. He brews an infamously strong homemade alcohol called "King Kong," which he shares freely with his closest friends. He operates as the eyes and ears of the building, frequently stepping in to clean up messes and protect his neighbors.

Potts is a veteran police officer assigned to investigate the violence erupting in the Cause Houses. Years of patrolling the Brooklyn streets have left him cynical regarding the possibility of real change in the impoverished neighborhoods. His routine investigation takes an unexpected turn when he begins interviewing the residents of Five Ends Baptist Church.

Bunch is a higher-ranking figure in the local drug organization operating around the Cause Houses. He views criminal enterprise as a necessary tool for lifting marginalized people out of poverty. He demands respect and order, preferring calculated intimidation over lethal violence when punishing those who disrupt his operations.

Driscoll Sturgess is an elderly Irishman who occasionally goes by the nickname "the Governor." He served time in prison decades earlier with the elder Elefante, forming a bond of trust that outlasted their sentences. He arrives in Brooklyn to recover a highly valuable historical artifact hidden by his old associate long ago.

Melissa is a capable young woman who runs a bagel business on behalf of her father. She handles her responsibilities with quiet competence, providing stability for her family. Her presence creates an immediate and profound impact on the men conducting business with her father.

Rufus is a long-time resident of the Watch Houses, an adjacent housing project. He was instrumental in founding the Five Ends Baptist Church before distancing himself from the congregation many years ago. He provides a safe hiding place for his childhood friend when the neighborhood violence escalates.

Mrs. Elefante is the elderly mother of a local mobster, sharing a quiet home with him near the housing projects. She possesses a deep belief in the healing power of herbal remedies and spends her time searching for specific plants growing in vacant city lots. She quietly bridges the gap between her son's organized crime world and the everyday citizens of the neighborhood.

Earl is a low-level enforcer working for the local drug ring. Tasked with intimidating older residents, he suffers a series of comedic, painful mishaps that repeatedly thwart his missions. To save himself from constant jail time, he secretly feeds information to law enforcement about his boss's operations.

Jet is an optimistic young undercover police detective eager to break racial barriers within the police department. Assigned to monitor local drug transactions, he immerses himself in the Cause Houses environment. He believes deeply in police reform, putting him at odds with the older, more cynical officers on the force.

Haroldeen is a young, ruthless operative brought up from Virginia to resolve the escalating conflicts in the drug ring. Driven by a desire to earn enough money for a college education, she adopts an innocent persona to infiltrate the local youth social circles. She executes her violent assignments with chilling precision.

Soup is a physically massive, six-foot-ten resident of the Cause Houses who recently finished serving time in prison. Despite his intimidating size, he has a gentle disposition and a strong affinity for children's television programming. He remains deeply embedded in the communal fabric of the housing project.

Joe Peck is a mobster who oversees large shipments of heroin flowing into the city. He relies on wealth and intimidation rather than trust, struggling to find secure locations to unload his illegal cargo. He harbors deep prejudices against the residents of the housing projects he floods with narcotics.

Lightbulb is a young resident of the Cause Houses working within the local narcotics operation. He nervously walks the line between loyalty to his childhood friends and ambition within the criminal hierarchy. He actively maneuvers to secure a larger selling territory for himself.

Pudgy Fingers is a blind young man who was abandoned by his biological family and taken in by local residents. He confidently navigates the city to attend a civic center for people with disabilities. He receives quiet, steady affection from his foster parents.