Ray is a working-class resident of Castle Rock, Maine, who has been married to Mary for ten years. He views his marriage in strategic, defensive terms, feeling trapped in a loop of petty bickering and financial precarity. He smokes cheap cigarettes, a habit that causes frequent friction with his wife. Instead of communicating directly, he relies on sarcasm and minor provocations to manage his frustrations.

Mary is Ray's 34-year-old wife, living in a strained, ten-year marriage shaped by economic struggle and childlessness. She dotes heavily on her dog, Biznezz, treating him as a surrogate child. She attempts to manage the couple's precarious finances by pushing to sell their house. At the same time, she frequently polices her husband's smoking habit, even while hiding her own secret stash of snack cakes in the cupboards.

Mr. Ghosh is the manager of the Quik-Pik store where Ray and Mary stop to run an errand. Wearing khaki pants and a white shirt with a name tag, he holds a position of local authority within the retail space. He attempts to maintain order and extend basic hospitality within the strict bounds of store policy and commercial logic.

The Old Man is a thin, balding customer at the Quik-Pik who serves as a quiet observer of the local community. Having been married for 37 years, he carries his own history of domestic life. He stands in the fluorescent aisles of the convenience store, representing a calm presence in the face of sudden disruption.

Biznezz is a Jack Russell terrier that Ray purchased for Mary years earlier following news of their infertility. The dog sits at the center of the couple's emotional economy, functioning as a surrogate child for Mary and a source of intense irritation for Ray. He eagerly accepts whatever treats are tossed his way, including petrified coconut snack cakes from the glove compartment.

The Clerk is a young woman employed at the Castle Rock Quik-Pik. She performs the routine retail tasks of the convenience store under the supervision of her manager. Wearing a blue smock, she represents the ordinary, low-wage workforce of the economically declining town.

Tallie is Mary's young niece. Her strong preference for the color purple drives the Burketts' specific errand to the Quik-Pik. She illustrates how family obligations are negotiated through cheap retail purchases in the couple's daily life.