Eighteen-year-old Madge works at the local dime store and wrestles with the expectations placed upon her due to her stunning beauty. While others view her appearance as a guarantee of a comfortable future, she feels insecure about her intelligence and identity. She dutifully follows her mother's directives regarding her wealthy boyfriend, yet privately yearns for a more exciting, independent life.

Sixteen-year-old Millie is a smart, precocious teenager who recently won a full college scholarship. She deliberately adopts a tomboyish persona to avoid comparison with her conventionally beautiful older sister. Standing on the cusp of adulthood, she chafes against the rigid expectations of femininity while harboring a deep desire to be taken seriously by the adults around her.

Hal is a rugged, handsome young drifter who arrives in town seeking out his former college fraternity brother for a job opportunity. Despite his physical attractiveness and past athletic successes, he comes from a background of severe neglect and struggles to fit into middle-class society. He carries deep insecurities about his worth and fears he will always remain an outsider.

Flo is a widow of about forty who runs a boarding house and single-handedly raises her two teenage daughters. Having fought her way out of poverty after her husband's neglect and eventual death, she is highly pragmatic and fiercely protective of her family's social standing. She focuses heavily on securing a wealthy marriage for her older daughter to guarantee a stable future.

Alan is a clean-cut young man from a wealthy and influential local family. He attends college and plans to marry Madge, whom he treats as a beautiful prize. While he appears warm and devoted, his privileged upbringing gives him a subtle sense of superiority, particularly regarding people from lower social classes.

Helen is an older widow who lives next door to the Owens family and cares for her cruel, elderly mother. Her mother forced her to annul her brief marriage when she was young, leaving Helen to live with the disappointments of her past. She maintains a kind, optimistic demeanor and finds small joys in hiring attractive, down-on-their-luck young men to do chores around her property.

Rosemary is an unmarried schoolteacher in her thirties who rents a room in the Owens household. She loudly proclaims her preference for the independent single life, using these declarations to mask her anxiety about aging in a society that primarily values women as wives. She harbors deep resentment toward the younger women in the house who still possess the beauty she once had.

Howard is a local businessman in his forties who operates a store and enjoys his life as a confirmed bachelor. While he likes spending time with Rosemary, he actively drags his feet when the topic of marriage arises. He accepts his older age but still harbors private, lascivious thoughts about the young women in town.

Bomber is the local newsboy who delivers papers to the neighborhood. He is a crude teenager who regularly pesters the older Owens daughter for dates while mercilessly insulting her younger sister.

Irma is a local schoolteacher who works alongside Rosemary. She is deeply concerned with the opinions of her peers and explicitly seeks validation about her appearance and social standing.

Christine is a newly hired schoolteacher who quickly integrates into the social circle of the older, unmarried women at the local school. She quietly observes the dynamics of her new community.