Joseph is a handsome 21-year-old footman who models Christian virtue and charity. Despite his low social status, his appearance, sweet singing voice, and manners rival those of any high-born gentleman. He possesses dark eyes and an athletic build that draws unwanted romantic attention from multiple women, though his heart remains entirely loyal to his childhood sweetheart.

Abraham Adams is a 50-year-old curate and scholar fluent in multiple languages, including Greek and Latin. He fiercely values literature and charity as essential components of Christian life. Although academically brilliant, he severely lacks common sense and routinely assumes the best of others, which leads to frequent comical disasters on the road to London.

Fanny is a 19-year-old milkmaid possessing unparalleled natural beauty, characterized by thick brown hair and porcelain skin. She is poor and uneducated but carries herself with an innate gentility that immediately charms everyone she meets. Her striking appearance constantly places her in danger from predatory men, requiring her to depend on her unwavering loyalty to Joseph.

Lady Booby is a wealthy, aristocratic gentlewoman who becomes obsessed with her handsome young footman. Following the death of her husband, she aggressively pursues Joseph while simultaneously attempting to mask her lust behind a veneer of scandalized propriety. She is intensely concerned with her reputation and views those of lower classes as disposable tools.

Mrs. Slipslop is Lady Booby's 45-year-old personal maid and confidant. She is described as short, corpulent, and highly status-conscious. Like her mistress, she harbors a strong physical attraction to Joseph, but she pursues him with much less subtlety, attempting to use her modest authority in the household to force his compliance.

Mr. Booby is Lady Booby's wealthy nephew who uses his influence to dictate local justice. He operates with a strong sense of class superiority and attempts to elevate his new brother-in-law's standing by dressing him as a gentleman and encouraging him to abandon his poor fiancée.

Pamela is Joseph's sister, renowned for fending off sexual temptation to maintain her own virtue. Having recently married into the wealthy Booby family, she adopts their upper-class mindset and surprisingly joins them in advising her brother to abandon his lower-class sweetheart.

Sir Thomas is the wealthy squire and master of the Booby household whose sudden death in London serves as the catalyst for his widow's pursuit of Joseph. He is remembered as a respectable public figure whose education brought him prestige.

Peter is a harsh, pragmatic servant to Lady Booby who travels the countryside handling her affairs. He holds deeply cynical views on poverty, believing that the poor imagine their hardships and are given too much charity.

Mr. Tow-wouse is the innkeeper who hosts the severely injured Joseph. He is easily swayed by his overbearing wife and struggles to maintain order in his establishment, eventually succumbing to the temptations of his chambermaid.

Mrs. Tow-wouse is the cruel, profit-driven hostess of the local inn. She strictly measures human worth by wealth and status, initially denying Joseph even a cup of tea or a shirt because he is a penniless footman.

Betty is a sweet-natured chambermaid at the Tow-wouse inn. While genuinely compassionate toward the sick, she is highly susceptible to romantic entanglements and attempts to seduce Joseph while tending his wounds.

Mr. Barnabas is a vain and unhelpful local clergyman. He prefers displaying his supposed academic superiority over delivering actual spiritual comfort, giving Joseph a completely useless explanation of Christian forgiveness.

Mr. Trulliber is a coarse, wealthy local clergyman who operates more like an aggressive farmer than a spiritual leader. He represents the antithesis of Christian charity, refusing to lend Adams a single coin to pay his inn bill.

Mr. Wilson is a gracious host living a quiet, contented life in the country. He spent his youth in the city vainly chasing status and squandering his fortune, a journey he recounts in detail. His peaceful rural life is shadowed only by the tragic kidnapping of his eldest son years ago.

Mrs. Wilson is the kind and supportive wife of Mr. Wilson. She represents the ideal of domestic tranquility, maintaining a loving, close-knit household that deeply impresses the travelers.

Lawyer Scout is a corrupt legal professional willing to bend the justice system to favor the wealthy. He readily conspires with Lady Booby to have Fanny banished or imprisoned on fabricated charges simply to please his aristocratic client.

Beau Didapper is an arrogant, wealthy young gentleman. Used by Lady Booby to tempt Fanny away from Joseph, he instead proves himself a coward when he is easily defeated in a physical altercation. His predatory nature leads to chaotic midnight mix-ups at Lady Booby's estate.

The Peddler is a traveling merchant of extremely modest means who repeatedly intervenes to assist Adams and his friends. Despite his poverty, he embodies the true Christian charity that wealthy clergymen in the story lack.

Mr. Andrews is the humble, rural father of Pamela and Joseph. He spent time away serving as a sergeant in the military during his early marriage, an absence that deeply impacted his family's history.

Mrs. Andrews is the devoted matriarch of her family. She carries the heavy burden of events that occurred while her husband was away at war, choosing to accept the children providence placed in her care.

Leonora is a wealthy young woman whose history serves as a moral lesson to the travelers. Engaged to a good man, she allows her vanity and desire for attention to lead her astray when a flashy stranger arrives in town.

Dick is the youngest son of Parson Adams. He serves as a source of immense pride for his father, who hopes to see him educated and ordained, though he briefly becomes the center of a terrifying accident.