Doris is an eighteen-year-old from a working-class family in the Ruhr Valley who works as a stenographer. Frustrated by her lack of education and the constraints of her environment, she dreams of escaping her dull life to become a star in Berlin. She actively uses her beauty and flirtatious nature to acquire luxury and survive in a male-dominated society, keeping a diary to document her experiences as though they were scenes in a film.

Ernst is a middle-aged, educated man who works in advertising and lives a comfortable bourgeois lifestyle in Berlin. He suffers from loneliness following the departure of his wife. Despite his melancholy, he demonstrates remarkable generosity by offering shelter and stability to those in desperate need.

Herr Brenner is a World War I veteran who lost his sight in combat and lives in the same Berlin apartment building as Tilli. His disability places a heavy strain on his marriage, leaving him isolated. He finds solace in vivid descriptions of the city, appreciating companionship that transcends the superficial lights of Berlin.

Karl is a poor, working-class man who lives on a small patch of land outside Berlin, selling vegetables and handmade trinkets to survive. He speaks with a distinct Berlin accent and maintains a practical, grounded approach to life. Unlike many around him, he remains active and tries to carve out his own modest destiny despite the economic downturn.

Alexander is an older, married industrialist who showers Doris with the wealth and luxury she craves. He represents the glitzy but hollow lifestyle Doris pursues, providing her with expensive clothes and shopping sprees. His wealth allows him to act as a powerful benefactor, though his connections appear questionable.

Tilli is a twenty-eight-year-old married woman living in Berlin whose husband is frequently away. Like Doris, she harbors dreams of escaping her impoverished circumstances to become a famous film star. She is generous with her limited resources, allowing Doris to stay with her rent-free as they navigate the difficult realities of the city.

Hanne is Ernst's estranged wife, an educated and artistically talented woman who loves reading Baudelaire and listening to Tchaikovsky. She represents the New Woman of the era, having left the stifling confines of a traditional housewife role to pursue a bohemian life as a dancer and artist with another man.

Hubert is a young man from Doris's hometown and her first romantic partner. He prioritizes socioeconomic advancement over love, choosing to end his relationship with Doris in hopes of marrying a wealthy girl from Munich whose professor father could secure him a job.

Therese is Doris's best friend from her hometown in the Ruhr Valley. She is a loyal companion who supports Doris during her most desperate moments, eventually providing her with savings to help her flee to Berlin.

Doris's mother is a lower-middle-class woman living in the Ruhr Valley who tries to offer practical, if resigned, advice to her daughter. She fashioned clothes from old drapes for Doris during her childhood and has settled for an unambitious husband, serving as a cautionary tale for Doris about the trap of poverty.

Albert is Tilli's husband, a poor and struggling man living in Berlin. His presence creates tension in his home, particularly when he develops an attraction to Doris, forcing Doris to evaluate her living situation to protect her friendship with Tilli.

The Red Moon is a nickname Doris gives to a writer she meets while his wife is out of town. He attempts to seduce her using his status and alcohol, but Doris easily manipulates the situation, distracting him by having him read his own work.

The Onyx is a wealthy father in Berlin who employs Doris. He is attracted to her, and Doris initially plans to use this attraction to gain gifts, but the dynamic shifts when she pursues his younger friend instead.

The daughter of a former general, Onyx's wife is a wealthy, status-conscious woman in Berlin. She abruptly fires Doris and brands her with insults upon discovering Doris's indiscretions with a family friend.

Herr Grönland is an early suitor of Doris in her hometown. He is easily manipulated by Doris, who drops hints about her broken watch during a date, prompting him to buy her a gold one despite her refusing his romantic advances.

Käsemann is a short, stocky man from Doris's hometown who wished to marry her. Though he gifted her a forest green coat with a fox-fur collar, Doris rejected his proposal, feeling she was meant for a better life.

Doris's employer at an attorney's office in her hometown. He is angered when Doris uses physical flirtation to avoid being reprimanded but then firmly rejects his subsequent sexual advances, resulting in her termination.

Mila is a haughty drama school student from a noble family who works at the local theater. She represents the educated, upper-class women Doris resents, and Doris ruthlessly locks her in a bathroom to steal her speaking line.

Rannowsky is a pimp operating in the same Berlin apartment building as Tilli. His presence serves as a dark, looming reminder to Doris of the desperate lengths women in the era must go to in order to survive the crushing poverty of the city.

Hulla is a prostitute living in Tilli's apartment building in Berlin. She provides Doris with sobering insights into the realities of selling oneself for money, pointing out the hollow nature of interacting with men who treat women like automatons.

Lippi is a man Doris stays with briefly in Berlin when she has nowhere else to go. She finds him entirely unattractive and resents his expectation of physical intimacy, ultimately fleeing his apartment on Christmas Eve rather than submit to his advances.

The wife of the blind World War I veteran, Herr Brenner. She is overworked and deeply stressed by the burden of supporting and caring for her disabled husband, creating tension regarding his future care.