The Protagonist is an unnamed Black man who recently migrated from Rocky Mont, North Carolina, to an unfamiliar Northern city. Broke and isolated, he cannot secure a job because he lacks a birth certificate. He attends the theater's film screenings and subsequent bingo games hoping to win the $36.90 jackpot to pay for Laura's medical care. He experiences profound psychological strain, repeating to himself that he is not crazy as he desperately seeks a way out of poverty.

Laura is the protagonist's sick partner or close relative whose medical crisis drives the story's central conflict. Though she does not physically appear in the narrative, she represents the protagonist's sole personal connection in an alienating Northern city. Her survival rests entirely on whether the protagonist can secure funds from the theater's Bank Night. She exists as a constant source of worry in the protagonist's mind.

The Man With The Microphone is a white authority figure who manages the theater's bingo game. He holds significant power over the desperate participants hoping to win the jackpot. He operates the game's mechanics and dictates the flow of Bank Night. He banters with the audience while strictly enforcing the rules of the establishment.

The Older Man is a fellow theater patron who notices the protagonist experiencing a severe nightmare. He wakes the younger man from his terrifying dream about a runaway train. He shares his bottle of whiskey, offering a rare moment of community connection and briefly altering the protagonist's physical state.

The Uniformed Men are police officers or security guards who enforce order at the movie theater. They act as the physical muscle for the establishment. They stand by to intervene if the audience or the bingo participants step out of line, representing a constant threat of punitive force.