Addressed as "you" throughout the novel, the narrator is an ambitious young man who moves from a rural village to a rapidly developing city. Driven by his father's insistence on education and his own desire to escape poverty, he seeks financial success. He begins his working life delivering pirated DVDs before moving into other entrepreneurial ventures, utilizing the gritty lessons he learns on the city streets.

A tall, aspiring model from the narrator's neighborhood who longs to escape her impoverished background and difficult family life. She relies on the narrator to bring her pirated movies, which provide an imaginative escape from her reality. Pragmatic and guarded, she views relationships warily and uses the resources available to her to climb the social ladder.

A hardworking cook who lives in the city and sends his wages back to his family in the village. Noticing that successful men have formal schooling, he strongly advocates for his son to pursue an education. He acts as the driving force behind the family's migration to the urban center.

A headstrong and spirited woman who manages her husband's remitted wages and raises their children in a rural village. She endures the physical toll of poverty and village life while longing to reunite her family under one roof. She actively convinces her husband to move them to the city.

A cunning merchant who profits by buying expired food at a low cost, giving it new dates, and reselling it to local vendors. He serves as an unconventional business mentor to the narrator, demonstrating the unsavory but effective tactics necessary for entrepreneurial survival.

The daughter of the narrator's accountant, she marries the narrator when she is twenty years old. She enters the marriage with firm boundaries, requiring that she be allowed to finish her lengthy law degree before bearing children. She is practical, religiously active, and maintains a distinct emotional distance from her husband.

The narrator's sibling who works manual labor, inhaling paint fumes all day to support himself. He remains tied to the working-class struggles that his brother attempts to escape through formal education.

The narrator's sister, whose life path is heavily dictated by traditional gender roles and arranged marriages. She shares quiet moments of childhood play with her brother, including a game called River, before the harsh realities of adulthood take over.

The child born to the narrator and his young wife. He loves stories and public speaking, bringing a rare sense of unconditional affection and groundedness to his father's heavily compartmentalized life.

The head of a fundamentalist student organization at the narrator's university. He enforces strict moral codes on campus, offering protection and stipends to members in exchange for their physical enforcement of the group's rules.

The wealthy matriarch of the company where the narrator's father works as a cook. She possesses significant financial resources and occasionally steps in to provide critical medical assistance to her employees' families.

The narrator's financial employee who manages the books for his growing business ventures. He is in declining health but serves as the vital link that introduces the narrator to his future wife.

A trained stenographer who suffers from alcoholism and a severe gambling addiction. His debts to local loan sharks trap his family in poverty and fuel his daughter's desperate desire to leave home.

A woman suffering from severe arthritis who works as a sweepress. The physical pain of her labor stands in stark contrast to her husband's wasteful gambling habits.