Nell is an abused thete living in the Leased Territories. Through her interactions with a stolen, highly advanced interactive Primer, she gains literacy, self-defense training, and hacking concepts. As she moves through various claves and educational systems, she balances the subversive teachings of her Primer with formal neo-Victorian expectations.

John Percival Hackworth is an ambitious artifex (engineer) who lives a comfortable but socially stagnant life in the neo-Victorian phyle. Desperate to provide his daughter with a competitive advantage, he commits an act of intellectual property theft. This decision pulls him into a cultural and technological conflict involving multiple powerful factions.

Dr. X is a skilled hacker, criminal overlord, and high-ranking Mandarin in the Celestial Kingdom. He operates at the intersection of traditional Confucian values and advanced Western nanotechnology. He manipulates events and people, particularly Hackworth, in his quest to restore Chinese cultural dominance and counter neo-Victorian influence.

Harv is a thete who resorts to petty crime and scavenging to provide for himself and his younger sister, Nell. Despite his lack of formal education and his difficult environment, he is fiercely protective of his family. His theft of the Primer alters the course of his sister's life, even as he remains trapped by his own socioeconomic status and criminal record.

Miranda is an aspiring ractor (interactive media actor) who voices the interactive Primer for an anonymous little girl. She develops a deep maternal bond with her unseen reader, eventually risking her career and safety to find the child in the real world. Her dedication challenges the limits of technologically mediated relationships.

Judge Fang is a magistrate in the Chinese Coastal Republic who strives to apply traditional Confucian justice in a chaotic, nanotech-driven world. His rulings show a blend of strict punishment and pragmatic mercy. His investigations repeatedly intersect with the Primer's journey and broader geopolitical struggles.

Finkle-McGraw is an equity lord and a powerful founder within the neo-Victorian phyle. Believing that his culture's elite have become too complacent, he commissions a subversive educational Primer for his granddaughter. He is a pragmatic leader who readily manipulates subordinates to protect his phyle's position.

Constable Moore is a veteran of early nanotech wars who now provides security for the artisan clave Dovetail. Bearing physical and psychological scars from his past, he becomes a paternal figure and mentor to Nell. He teaches her about the impacts of trauma and the difference between academic knowledge and true intelligence.

Miss Matheson runs the School of the Three Graces, a strict institution designed to turn girls into proper neo-Victorian ladies. She enforces rigorous discipline and Eurocentric curricula to propagate her phyle's values. Though rigid, she harbors a cynical understanding of education's true purpose as cultural indoctrination.

Carl Hollywood is the founder and manager of an interactive theater. He serves as a steadfast friend and supporter to Miranda, eventually leveraging his network connections and programming skills to aid her search for Nell. He becomes an important player in the struggle against the centralized economy.

Fiona is Hackworth's daughter and the original intended recipient of the bootleg Primer. Raised in a comfortable neo-Victorian environment, she struggles with academic expectations and uses the Primer to maintain a connection with her absent father. She grows to reject neo-Victorian gender norms in favor of artistic subversion.

Colonel Napier is an official in the neo-Victorian intelligence and armed forces. He enforces his phyle's security by forcing Hackworth to serve as a double agent. Outwardly the embodiment of neo-Victorian rationality, he privately seeks emotional release through submissive roleplay.

The Fists are a fierce Chinese nationalist group fighting to eliminate foreign influence and Western nanotechnology from their territory. They use brutal tactics in their campaign against the centralized economy and dramatically alter the geopolitical landscape.

The Mouse Army is a vast collective of rescued Han girls raised by Dr. X with non-interactive Primers. Bound by intense mutual loyalty rather than traditional Confucian obedience, they form a formidable, unified force capable of bringing order to chaotic environments.

Gwendolyn is the perfectly manicured, conventional neo-Victorian wife of John Hackworth. She adheres strictly to her phyle's social expectations and struggles to understand her daughter's unorthodoxy. Her commitment to traditional values limits her understanding of her husband's subversive actions.

Elizabeth is the privileged granddaughter of a powerful equity lord. Provided with the original Primer, she absorbs its subversive lessons but channels them into an anarchic rejection of her culture. Her affluence allows her to rebel against neo-Victorian norms with few immediate consequences.

Tequila is a thete and the neglectful mother of Harv and Nell. Struggling with poverty and relying on abusive men for support, she fails to provide emotional or physical safety for her children. She embodies the systemic cycle of neglect in the underclass.

Bud is a low-level criminal in the Chinese Coastal Republic and the biological father of Harv and Nell. Driven by a desire for respect and money, he targets vulnerable migrants until he targets a powerful phyle.

Burt is one of Tequila's dangerous partners who brings extreme physical violence into her apartment, deeply impacting the children's safety. His presence directly forces Nell and Harv to rely on the Primer's lessons to survive.

Madame Ping owns a lucrative, discreet business that caters to the ractive fantasies of elites. She is a capable businesswoman who understands the psychological needs of her clients. She provides Nell with a unique vantage point on neo-Victorian desires and vulnerabilities.

Chang is a loyal assistant and constable working under Judge Fang. He executes his superior's orders with precision, from confronting intellectual property thieves to ensuring the physical safety of children in the Leased Territories.

Miss Pao is an assistant to Judge Fang. Alongside Chang, she helps interpret evidence and carry out the judge's directives regarding the missing Primer and the protection of its young reader.

Princess Nell is the virtual protagonist of the Primer's fairy-tale narrative, serving as an interactive mirror for the real Nell. Through a series of quests involving castles, tricksters, and magical keys, she models subversion and leadership.

Prince Harv is the Primer's virtual counterpart to Nell's real-life brother. He provides early protection for his sister but cannot accompany her beyond the castle, modeling the limits of his real-world counterpart.

Dinosaur is one of the Night Friends in the Primer who acts as a fierce protector for Princess Nell. He imparts lessons on survival, martial arts strategy, and humility, empowering Nell to defend herself in the real world.

Peter Rabbit is a clever, trickster guide within the Primer. He teaches Princess Nell the art of deception and strategic lying, skills she immediately applies to survive encounters with dangerous adults.

Duck is a maternal figure among the Night Friends in the Primer. She provides the gentle, consistent nurturing that Nell deeply craves, filling the emotional void left by her real mother.

Brad is an artisan blacksmith living in the Dovetail clave and the only decent ex-partner of Tequila. He represents a stable, productive life free from the Feed, though his community's strict rules mean he cannot harbor fugitives.

Mark is one of Tequila's dangerous partners. His predatory behavior toward Nell forces Harv into violent confrontation, escalating the danger in their household.