Harry is a married factory worker and father who serves as a local union official. He utilizes his comprehensive knowledge of the union rulebook to endlessly argue with factory bosses, alienating both management and his fellow workers. He feels deeply unsatisfied with his domestic life and harbors repressed anger that manifests in violent thoughts and abusive behavior toward his wife.

Georgette is a transgender woman and sex worker living in Brooklyn who embraces her female identity despite violent opposition from her family and society. She actively seeks validation and affection, particularly from local criminals, as a way to affirm her place in the world. She relies on substances to cope with the rejection she faces daily.

Tralala is a young sex worker who operates around the local Greek diner, frequently collaborating with neighborhood criminals to rob her clients. She maintains a strictly indifferent attitude toward sex, believing this emotional detachment empowers her and ensures her survival. She desires a lavish lifestyle and resents the impoverished conditions of her neighborhood.

Vinnie is a petty criminal and regular patron of the Greek diner who frequently returns to stealing cars after stints in jail. He possesses a narcissistic nihilism, caring little for anyone else and frequently manipulating others for his own ego or financial gain. He boasts about his past cellmates to elevate his status within the local neighborhood mythology.

Abraham is a resident of a Brooklyn public housing estate who spends his money entirely on his appearance and his prized Cadillac. He carefully cultivates an image of wealth and success while completely neglecting his wife and five children. He reacts with physical violence whenever his wife confronts him about his absence or their lack of basic necessities.

Alex is the owner of the local Greek diner that serves as a central hub for the neighborhood's unemployed youths, sex workers, and petty criminals. He frequently argues with the young men who spend their evenings in his establishment, urging them to find jobs. Because his business relies on these patrons, he remains tied to the local criminal element.

Freddy is an unemployed young man who spends his evenings at the Greek diner with his gang. He cares deeply about his hair and talks constantly about cars and women. He routinely insults a local sex worker who is obsessed with him, enjoying the ego boost her attention provides.

Rosie is a young sex worker who frequents the Greek diner and harbors a desperate obsession with Freddy. She persistently seeks his affection and financial help, ignoring his rejections and physical abuse.

Tommy is a young motorcycle enthusiast who works to support his new family. He avoids the violent vices common to other men in their community, which makes him an appealing partner to his wife. He values his motorcycle as a source of livelihood and a means of escaping the confines of his neighborhood.

Suzy is a young woman who decides to marry Tommy because he lacks the violent vices common to other men in their community. She helps organize a large party at Murphy's Hall to celebrate both her wedding and the christening of her new baby.

Spook is Tommy's friend who harbors a deep obsession with motorcycles but initially cannot afford one of his own. He frequently borrows Tommy's bike until he eventually purchases his own, which he proudly shows off during a chaotic wedding party.

Mike is an unemployed resident of the public housing project. He relies entirely on his wife, Irene, to support their family financially while he sleeps late, complains, and spends his time spying on neighbors. He relishes the idea of drinking with his friends to avoid caring for his children.

Irene is Mike Kelly's overworked wife who bears the sole responsibility of providing for their family. She resents her husband's idleness and frequently urges him to find employment, though her requests are met with indifference.

Lucy is a stressed mother living in the public housing project who struggles to manage her unruly children. She feels overwhelmed by her chaotic living conditions, the filth in her building, and her lack of support from her college-student husband.

Louis is Lucy's husband, a college student who remains detached from the daily stress of raising their children in a low-income housing project. He dismisses his wife's complaints about their living situation and focuses primarily on his studies.

Ada is an elderly Jewish widow living in the public housing project. She privately mourns the deaths of her husband and her son, laying out clean pajamas for her late husband every day. She is frequently mocked by the neighborhood housewives and serves as a quiet contrast to the loud chaos surrounding her.

Nancy is Abraham's neglected wife. She struggles to care for their five children in a cramped apartment with little money, constantly frustrated by her husband's absence and extravagant personal spending. She endures physical abuse when she confronts him.

Arthur is Georgette's aggressive brother who vehemently rejects her female identity. He physically and emotionally torments her, confiscating her hidden belongings and destroying her clothing. He embodies the hostility that transgender individuals face in his neighborhood.

Tony is a young neighborhood criminal who spends his time at the Greek diner. He participates in local robberies and street brawls, frequently teaming up with Tralala and other regulars to assault clients or steal money.

Al is a neighborhood criminal who associates with Tralala and Tony. He participates in illegal gambling operations and bar robberies, representing the constant, low-level criminality of the borough.

Ruthy is a bartender in Brooklyn who knows Tralala. She listens to Tralala complain about her lack of money and provides a space where local sex workers and criminals congregate.

Harry is one of Freddy's friends who hangs around the Greek diner. He participates in street brawls and entertains himself by aggressively mocking and threatening others, including throwing a knife at Georgette's feet for his own amusement.

Mary is Harry Black's wife and the mother of their child. She attempts to maintain a normal domestic life, often dismissing her husband's odd, emotionally detached behavior as a quirk. She endures his growing hostility and physical violence as he becomes increasingly alienated from their marriage.

Ginger is a transgender woman who associates with Vinnie and the diner crowd. She flirts playfully with an intoxicated Harry Black at the strike headquarters, introducing him to a different social scene away from his traditional factory life.

Regina is a transgender woman who briefly dates Harry Black during the factory strike. She enjoys the gifts and expensive dates that Harry provides using union funds.

Alberta is a transgender woman who meets Harry Black at Mary's bar. She spends a weekend with him, providing him with a temporary escape from his unhappy marriage.

Joey is a 10-year-old boy who lives in the neighborhood. He encounters an intoxicated Harry Black late at night.

Lee is a transgender woman who attends a lively apartment party. She becomes the target of an aggressive argument with Harry, illustrating the constant threat of violence in her social circles.

Roberta is a young woman who attends a large wedding and christening party at Murphy's Hall. She successfully convinces Tommy to take her for a ride on his motorcycle.

Sal is Mike Kelly's friend in the neighborhood. He joins Mike in visiting bars and chasing women, enabling Mike's avoidance of domestic responsibilities.