The speaker, implicitly representing Philip Larkin himself, is an observer in his fifties or sixties experiencing the cultural shifts of 1967. He contemplates the new generation's sexual liberation, comparing it to his own youth, which was defined by changing religious views. He expresses a sardonic, pessimistic tone but is ultimately struck by a profound, unbidden vision of high windows that complicates his surface-level assumptions.

Referred to as "a couple of kids" in their teens or twenties, this unnamed pair represents the youth culture of 1967. To the speaker, they act as a symbol of a liberated generation taking advantage of medical and social advancements like the birth control pill. They serve as the catalyst for the speaker's deeper existential reflections on the true nature of human happiness.

The imagined elder is a hypothetical figure conjured by the speaker's memory and imagination. This older person is envisioned observing the young speaker, just as the speaker now observes the young couple. This elder assumes that the speaker's generation, free from strict religious fears, will experience an endless, blissful freedom.