Franny is a college student and the youngest sibling of the Glass family. She recently quit her college theater department due to her growing disdain for egotism and societal conformity. Experiencing an existential crisis and grieving her late brother Seymour, she carries a religious book called *The Way of a Pilgrim*. She seeks spiritual authenticity through the continuous recitation of the Jesus Prayer, hoping to find an escape from the superficial interactions that define her academic and romantic life.

Zooey is a twenty-five-year-old television actor and the second-youngest of the Glass siblings. Tall and highly intelligent, he uses anger and biting sarcasm as a shield against his unprocessed grief over his oldest brother's suicide. He recognizes his own destructive tendencies but struggles to express genuine comfort toward his family. Despite his outward cynicism, he retains a deep, private connection to the spiritual concepts taught to him during his childhood.

Bessie is the mother of the seven Glass children. She frequently moves about the family apartment in a floral robe. She feels overwhelmed by the task of keeping her surviving children safe following the traumatic losses of her older sons. Practically minded but anxious, she focuses on physical comforts like chicken soup and tries to enlist her adult children to help one another when she feels unable to reach them emotionally.

Lane is a college student studying English. He is heavily invested in academic prestige, eager to impress his professors and peers with his knowledge of Flaubert. He prioritizes his self-image and physical desires over understanding his girlfriend's emotional turmoil, actively dismissing her spiritual interests as unscientific.

Buddy is a writer and an older brother in the Glass family. Having dropped out of college himself, he acts as a distant mentor to his younger siblings by writing them letters of advice. He lives a deeply private life without a telephone, making him difficult for the rest of the family to reach during crises.

Seymour is the oldest Glass sibling, a highly intelligent former child prodigy who died by suicide seven years prior to the story's events. He heavily influenced his youngest siblings' education by focusing on religious and spiritual figures rather than traditional academics. His absence casts a long shadow over the entire family.

Les is the patriarch of the Glass family. Emotionally distant from current family crises, he prefers to retreat into the past by listening to old radio broadcasts of his children on "It's a Wise Child."

Walt is one of the older Glass brothers who died in an explosion during World War II. His death adds to the compound grief experienced by the family, particularly his mother.

Waker is an older brother in the Glass family who serves as a priest. Bessie briefly considers reaching out to him to help Franny with her religious crisis.

Wally is an acquaintance from college whom Lane intends to meet up with. Franny views him as the ultimate symbol of social conformity, gossiping, and name-dropping.

Professor Tupper is an academic in Franny's college. Franny feels a strong animosity toward him, viewing him as a pretentious academic who values ego over genuine wisdom.

The "Fat Lady" is an imaginary audience member invented by Seymour. He created this figure to encourage his siblings to always perform their best on the radio show, teaching them to respect an unseen listener.

Mr. LeSage is a television producer or writer associated with Zooey's acting career. Zooey reads his typed manuscript while sitting in the bath.