A twenty-two-year-old woman who appears much younger than her actual age. She was born in the Marshalsea debtors' prison and secretly works outside its walls as a seamstress to support her imprisoned father and older siblings. Possessing deep empathy and a relentless work ethic, she shoulders her family's burdens without complaint and feels responsible for their welfare.

A forty-year-old businessman returning from twenty years in China following his father's death. He brings home his father's pocket watch bearing a mysterious inscription, prompting him to investigate potential past wrongs committed by his family. He feels weary and directionless regarding his career but maintains a strict personal morality and a desire to help others.

A ruined gentleman who has lived in the Marshalsea prison for over two decades. Known respectfully as the "Father of the Marshalsea," he expects tributes from other prisoners and takes great pride in his high-born status. He willfully ignores that his youngest daughter works outside the prison to fund his comfortable lifestyle, preferring to maintain his aristocratic delusions.

Arthur's severe, deeply religious mother who has confined herself to her bedroom for years. She runs the Clennam family business with an iron fist and actively suppresses Arthur's questions regarding his late father's secrets. She views life through a rigid framework of punishment and divine retribution.

A cynical and predatory French fugitive who frequently changes his name, sometimes going by Blandois. Despite his criminal actions, he demands to be treated as a gentleman of high birth. He travels across Europe looking for opportunities to exploit and manipulate vulnerable targets.

The long-time clerk of the Clennam business who is soon elevated to Mrs. Clennam's partner. He is a harsh, irritable man who constantly bickers with his employer while remaining entirely loyal to their shared business interests. He bullies his wife into doubting her own sanity.

The Clennams' maid who was forced into marriage with Jeremiah at Mrs. Clennam's insistence. She lives in a state of constant terror, believing the decaying Clennam house is haunted. She frequently experiences vivid "dreams" involving household secrets and strange noises that her husband dismisses as madness.

Amy's older sister who works as a theatrical dancer. Like her father, she is fiercely proud of the family's upper-class origins and constantly worries about social propriety. She resents Amy's willingness to associate with impoverished people, viewing it as a deliberate insult to the family's dignity.

Amy's older brother, officially named Edward. He struggles to maintain steady employment despite Amy's constant efforts to secure jobs for him. His careless financial habits eventually result in him joining his father as a prisoner for debt in the Marshalsea.

William Dorrit's brother and Amy's uncle. He plays the clarinet in a theater orchestra and lives a quiet, unpretentious life. Unlike William and Fanny, Frederick cares nothing for social status and deeply appreciates the sacrifices Amy makes for the family.

A practical, warm-hearted English businessman traveling the continent with his family. He strongly dislikes the slow, inefficient bureaucracy of the Circumlocution Office and places tremendous value on honesty and straightforward action.

Mr. Meagles' pretty and somewhat sheltered daughter, formally named Minnie. She draws Arthur Clennam's quiet affection but finds herself pursued by other, less stable suitors as the family travels.

A young woman adopted from an orphanage by the Meagles to serve as Pet's maid. She struggles constantly with explosive anger and deep-seated feelings of inferiority, viewing the family's well-meaning charity as a humiliating reminder of her social station.

A cold, solitary traveler who views the entire world with bitter suspicion and assumes everyone acts out of selfish cruelty. She takes a particular interest in Tattycoram, encouraging the younger woman's anger toward the Meagles.

Arthur Clennam's former fiancée, whose past relationship was broken up by their respective families. Now a wealthy widow, she has grown highly talkative and physically changed, though she still clings to a dramatic, romanticized view of her past with Arthur.

Flora's father and the owner of the Bleeding Heart Yard property. He maintains a saintly, patriarchal appearance that masks his true nature as a ruthless landlord who uses his debt collector to squeeze money from impoverished tenants.

Mr. Casby's hyperactive rent collector. Though he ruthlessly shakes down the residents of Bleeding Heart Yard on behalf of his employer, he operates as a self-styled "fortune-teller" on the side, quietly investigating local families and their hidden histories.

A brilliant, hardworking engineer who owns a factory in Bleeding Heart Yard. He spends years attempting to get his invention tested by the government, facing endless delays from the Circumlocution Office.

A cheerful Italian petty criminal who fears his sinister cellmate. After escaping Rigaud's company, he travels to London, survives an accident with Clennam's help, and settles in Bleeding Heart Yard as a tenant.

An artist with connections to the influential Barnacle family. He possesses a careless, cynical attitude toward life and work, largely drifting on his social status rather than applying himself to his profession.

A massively famous and wealthy financier whose investments dominate London society. Though treated almost like royalty due to his financial success, he is personally awkward, nervous, and frequently uncomfortable in his own grand home.

A pompous, wealthy society woman who views human relationships entirely through the lens of social advantage. She actively works to manage her dimwitted son's romantic prospects and uses her husband's wealth to cement her status.

Mrs. Merdle's son from a previous marriage. He is an affable but decidedly dimwitted young man who falls deeply in love with Fanny Dorrit and relies entirely on his family's wealth to secure his place in the Circumlocution Office.

The son of a Marshalsea turnkey who nurses a deep, unrequited love for Amy Dorrit. When rejected, he frequently falls into despair and imagines elaborate epitaphs for his own gravestone to process his sorrow.

A nearly thirty-year-old woman who suffered an illness at age ten, leaving her permanently delayed in her development. She relies heavily on Amy for emotional and physical support, remaining fiercely devoted to her.