Charlie is a 12-year-old boy suffering from severe sleep deprivation and night terrors following the death of his mother, Veronica. Forced to move into a strange purple mansion with his father's new wife, he actively resists his new family structure. He drinks leftover coffee to stay awake and barricades his bedroom doors with cardboard boxes every night to keep his nightmares away.

Charlotte is an herbalist who lives in a large, eccentric purple mansion inherited from her grandmother. She has wiry bright orange hair, wears dark clothing, and frequently brews foul-smelling botanical concoctions in her tower studio. Despite Charlie's intense hostility and accusations that she is a witch, she remains patient and attempts to provide a stable home environment.

A towering, imposing authority figure who commands fear in both the waking world and the Netherworld. At the elementary school, he targets vulnerable students with harsh discipline and unyielding academic pressure. In the dream dimension, he operates as a suited ruler who manipulates and capitalizes on the deep-seated insecurities of human children.

A sinister figure with a sickly green face, mirrored eyes, and a sleek black hat who continually haunts Charlie during his sleep. She lives in a stone belfry in the Netherworld and repeatedly threatens to drag the boy permanently away from his family.

A highly intelligent, bespectacled boy who serves as the resident genius of Charlie's friend group. He struggles with physical fitness exams and harbors a deep-seated fear of public humiliation, which is exacerbated when older students mockingly call him "Turtle."

The star athlete of Cypress Creek Elementary. Despite his popularity and physical prowess, he struggles academically and is exhausted by bad dreams involving endless, unsolvable exams. He acts as a protective force for his less athletic friends.

Charlie's best friend since kindergarten. She is empathetic, artistic, and acts as the emotional anchor for the group, frequently pushing Charlie to apologize when he snaps at others. She harbors a secret, debilitating terror of the dark.

Charlie's eight-year-old younger brother. Innocent and adaptable, he is much more open to accepting Charlotte as a mother figure than his older brother is. He often reads Charlotte's stories to his classmates and seeks out positive attention from the adults in his life.

A snobbish gorgon who wears a neat suit and dark sunglasses to prevent turning people to stone. He has three living snakes growing from his head named Larry, Barry, and Fernando. Despite his irritable complaints about humans, he acts as a guide through the perilous Netherworld.

Charlie and Jack's father, who became reclusive following the death of his first wife, Veronica. He met Charlotte when she moved into town and married her eleven months later. He struggles to understand the depth of Charlie's trauma, often misinterpreting his son's severe anxiety as standard teenage rebellion.

Charlie and Jack's deceased mother, whose death just before Charlie's ninth birthday triggered his severe night terrors. She is remembered fondly by her sons for making Halloween costumes and singing lullabies.

An enormous clown with bloodshot eyes and a leering red smile who inhabits the dream dimension. Despite a terrifying appearance that aligns with classic clown phobias, he actively assists those in danger.

A centuries-old gorgon with a serpent's lower body and living snakes for hair. She lives in a lavish cave at the summit of a mountain and wears oversized protective sunglasses to prevent petrifying her guests.

The reclusive millionaire who originally built the purple mansion centuries ago. His painted expression looks haunted and anxious, hinting at a history of deep-seated fears.

The name shared by two entities—Charlotte's ordinary house cat in the Waking World, and a panther-sized black feline in the Netherworld who eagerly anticipates eating human toes.