A poor, highly educated man living in a small room in a shared St. Petersburg apartment. He identifies as an intellectual but suffers from deep depression. His overwhelming belief that nothing in the world matters drives him to purchase a revolver with the intention of ending his life. An unexpected interaction on the street causes him to pause his grim plans and fall asleep in his armchair.

An eight-year-old child walking through the freezing rain in broken shoes and a soaked dress. She is terrified and sobbing frantically because her mother is ill. Her sudden plea for help delays the narrator's plans for the evening and forces him to reconsider his total indifference to the world.

A retired military officer who rents a room in the same apartment as the narrator. He lives in poverty and occasionally begs for work on the street. He spends his nights drinking, fighting, and playing cards with disreputable guests, creating a chaotic living environment for everyone else.

The woman who manages the shared apartment where the narrator lives. She rents out small rooms to various impoverished individuals to make a living. She spends her nights terrified of the violence occurring under her roof.

A woman raising three small children in the shared apartment. The hostile environment of the boarding house deeply affects her family. The youngest child suffers physical fits of fright due to the constant shouting next door.

A group of three acquaintances who spend time with the narrator. During a lively discussion, they find it amusing rather than offensive when the narrator points out their underlying lack of genuine care for the topic.