Elena is a diligent, observant girl growing up in a poor 1950s Neapolitan neighborhood. She excels in school and seeks the approval of authority figures like her teacher, though she frequently doubts her own abilities and appearance. She models herself after her fearless friend Lila, using their competitive dynamic to push herself academically as a means of escaping her impoverished environment.

Lila is an intensely intelligent, daring, and rebellious girl. Though skinny and unkempt as a child, she possesses a natural brilliance that allows her to teach herself to read and easily outpace her peers. Her family's poverty and her father's resistance limit her formal education, so she channels her creative energy into designing shoes and manipulating local social dynamics.

Don Achille is a feared figure in the neighborhood, known for his involvement in the black market and extortion during and after World War II. To the local children, he takes on mythic proportions. He controls much of the local economy through intimidation and violence until his sudden murder upends the neighborhood's power dynamic.

Stefano is a wealthy young grocer who seeks to distance himself from his father's terrifying reputation. He presents himself as elegant, generous, and progressive, using his financial resources to win the neighborhood's favor. He takes a strong interest in Lila, using his wealth to support her family's shoe business and court her attention.

Marcello is the handsome, arrogant son of the neighborhood's powerful Camorrist family. Used to taking whatever he wants through wealth and physical intimidation, he develops an obsessive desire to marry Lila. He treats women as property and uses his family's money to buy compliance from his neighbors.

Lila's older brother is an excitable and deeply frustrated young man who works alongside his father in the family shoe repair shop. He initially champions Lila's right to an education but lacks the practicality to follow through on his grand ambitions. He desires wealth and respect but frequently resorts to reckless behavior and violence to assert himself.

Fernando is a traditional, authoritarian shoemaker and the patriarch of the Cerullo family. He is intimidated by Lila's sharp intellect and strictly adheres to the patriarchal norms of the neighborhood, seeing no value in educating a daughter. He demands absolute obedience and regularly uses physical violence to maintain control over his children.

Elena's unnamed mother is an exhausted, bitter, and highly critical housewife. She walks with a severe limp and has a mismatched eye, physical traits that terrify Elena. She frequently directs her anger and jealousy at Elena, viewing her daughter's educational opportunities with a mixture of suspicion and resentment.

Elena's unnamed father works as a porter at the city hall in Naples. He is generally milder than his wife but still functions as the absolute authority in their home. He recognizes Elena's academic potential and quietly supports her education, providing her with rare glimpses of the broader city outside their insular neighborhood.

Pasquale is a passionate, uneducated construction worker with staunch Communist beliefs inherited from his imprisoned father. He is highly aware of the political and economic injustices governing their community and deeply resents the wealthy Carracci and Solara families. He harbors a deep, unrequited affection for Lila.

Melina is a widow who cleans the neighborhood stairs to survive. Following the sudden death of her husband, she falls into deep mental instability, exacerbated by a manipulative affair with Donato Sarratore. Her erratic behavior makes her a target for neighborhood gossip and places a heavy burden on her children.

Antonio is a shy, diligent auto-mechanic who assumes the role of family protector following his father's death and his mother's mental decline. Lacking the aggressive swagger of other local boys, he only fights to defend his family's honor. He develops a deep, genuine affection for Elena.

Ada is a pretty, physically mature teenager whose fatherless household and mother's instability leave her highly vulnerable to the predatory men in the neighborhood. She is forced into unwanted situations by the wealthy Solara brothers but attempts to maintain her dignity in a community that offers her little protection.

Donato is a charismatic train conductor and aspiring poet who projects an image of refined sensitivity. Beneath his polite exterior, he is deeply selfish and predatory, using his charm to manipulate vulnerable women in the neighborhood to satisfy his own vanity.

Nino is a serious, intellectual student who strictly distances himself from the neighborhood's violence and his father's womanizing behavior. He possesses a brooding intelligence that Elena heavily romanticizes. He is ambitious and highly focused on his education, though he occasionally displays signs of vanity when his intellectual superiority is challenged.

Maestra Oliviero is a stern, imposing educator who acts as a fierce gatekeeper for her students' futures. She identifies intellectual potential and pushes hard for gifted students to escape the plebeian neighborhood. She is highly judgmental, withdrawing her favor entirely from students whose families refuse to support their education.

Alfonso is Stefano's younger brother and the son of the terrifying Don Achille. Unlike the rest of his family, he is gentle, studious, and emotionally sensitive. He frequently cries under pressure at school and forms a safe, non-threatening friendship with Elena during their high school years.

Enzo is the son of the neighborhood fruit and vegetable seller. As a child, he is a fierce rival to Lila in academic competitions, which leads to physical altercations. As he grows older, his hostility turns into quiet, respectful admiration for Lila, and he proves himself to be a loyal defender of the neighborhood girls against the Solara brothers.

Carmela is Pasquale's sister and a close childhood friend to Elena and Lila. She is deeply affected by her father's imprisonment for the murder of Don Achille. She often serves as a source of information for the girls regarding physical maturity and neighborhood gossip.

Gigliola is the daughter of the local pastry maker and one of the top students in elementary school. As she grows up, she becomes increasingly focused on boys and social status, aligning herself closely with the powerful Solara brothers for social advantage.

Michele is the younger of the wealthy Solara brothers. Like his brother Marcello, he operates with impunity in the neighborhood, using violence and intimidation to assert dominance. He frequently wields weapons during local disputes and participates in the harassment of vulnerable young women.

Nunzia is Lila's mother. She is a worn-down, passive woman who struggles to keep peace in a volatile household dominated by her violent husband and rebellious children. She frequently defers to the men in the neighborhood and expects her daughter to do the same.

Marisa is Nino's sister. She is acutely aware of her family's dysfunction and her father's infidelities. She is pragmatic about her brother's selfish tendencies and provides Elena with unvarnished insights into the Sarratore family dynamics.

Lidia is Donato's wife and Nino's mother. She presents a respectable front to the neighborhood but suffers deep humiliation due to her husband's blatant infidelities. She engages in vicious, public altercations with Melina Cappuccio to defend her marriage.

Alfredo is a local carpenter and staunch Communist who is pushed to the brink by Don Achille's economic exploitation. He is eventually arrested and imprisoned for Don Achille's murder, a fate that permanently stigmatizes his family.

Pinuccia is Stefano's sister and the daughter of Don Achille. She works in the family grocery store and enjoys the protection and status her family's wealth provides. She frequently clashes with Lila over lifestyle choices and wedding preparations.

Nella is Maestra Oliviero's cousin, residing on the island of Ischia. She hosts Elena during the summer, providing her with a safe environment and a respite from the violence of her Neapolitan neighborhood.