An unnamed writer and intellectual exploring a surreal afterlife environment. He approaches his unfamiliar surroundings with curiosity, mild dread, and a growing sense of spiritual inadequacy. As he observes the interactions between the solid, bright Spirits and the translucent, visiting Ghosts, he questions his own doubts concerning faith and human nature.

A 19th-century Scottish author and minister who resides in the solid country. He possesses a radiant form and speaks with quiet authority based on his extensive theological understanding. Acting as a teacher, he explains the metaphysical laws governing the afterlife, helping his companion understand why the visiting ghosts struggle so deeply with salvation.

A scheming passenger who understands economic theory but fails to grasp spiritual reality. He believes he can fix the societal isolation of his dreary home by introducing solid commodities from the new country to create demand. He attempts to steal heavy golden apples to build a marketplace, relying entirely on earthly systems rather than divine solutions.

A former clergyman and academic who shifted toward liberal theology during his earthly life out of a desire to fit in with intellectual peers. He prefers the endless pursuit of spiritual inquiry over definitive answers. Even in the afterlife, he values debate and his small theological society more than the concrete reality offered by the bright country.

A solid Spirit who reconverted to orthodox Christianity on his deathbed. He meets his old friend to offer him entry into the mountains, speaking directly and plainly about the necessity of leaving behind circular questioning. He represents the clarity of spiritual truth versus the endless ambiguity of earthly academia.

A young man who took his own life after experiencing romantic heartbreak and ideological disappointment. He blames world systems like capitalism and communism for his mediocrity, never taking personal responsibility for his unhappiness. He believes his intellect was unappreciated on Earth and expects to finally find recognition in his new destination.

An aggressive, resentful ghost who bases his entire self-worth on his perception that he was a decent person in life. He views salvation as a transactional reward for good behavior rather than an act of divine mercy. He is deeply offended to find that people he considers morally inferior have been accepted into the bright country.

A solid inhabitant of the bright country who worked for The Big Man during their earthly lives and committed a murder. Having received divine grace, he now resides in peace. He tries to explain to his former employer that no human is inherently good enough to enter God's presence on their own merits.

A deeply cynical passenger who treats the bright country as just another manipulative hoax. He believes that all authorities, whether earthly governments or divine beings, run a rigged game designed to exploit the gullible. His pervasive doubt and conspiracy-minded attitude prevent him from trusting any invitations to stay.

A stunningly beautiful woman who lived an unremarkable earthly life but holds a place of profound honor in the new country. She is celebrated for the abundant love and godliness she showed to every living creature she encountered. She attempts to welcome her husband with a genuine joy that is entirely free from earthly dependence or manipulation.

A small ghost who used self-pity to control others during his life. He appears alongside a theatrical extension of himself called the Tragedian, which voices his demands for attention and pity. He deeply resents the fact that his wife no longer requires his presence to be happy, clinging to his manipulative emotional weapons rather than accepting her freely given love.

A conflicted ghost plagued by a whispering lizard that represents his lusts and sinful habits. He recognizes that his dark attachments cause him continual misery, but he fears that destroying the creature will kill him as well. He openly wrestles with the agonizing choice of sacrificing his sinful nature in order to stay in the solid country.

A flaming heavenly being who offers to free a suffering ghost from his burdens. The being requires explicit, verbal consent before taking action against the lizard. This request proves the absolute necessity of free will in the process of spiritual purification.

A ghost who spent her earthly life aggressively trying to alter, control, and "improve" her husband. She views the bright country merely as a place where she can reunite with him and resume dictating his actions. Lacking anyone to manipulate or harass in the afterlife, she exists in a state of continuous, bitter frustration.

A solid Spirit who attempts to reason with a persistently bitter ghost. She tries to help her old acquaintance see the error in her controlling earthly behavior, though her efforts are met with immediate deflection and further grievances. She serves as a calm counterpoint to the ghost's frantic negativity.

The earthly husband of the complaining ghost. He is framed by his wife as an unambitious burden who refused to climb the social ladder. However, the context of her relentless ranting suggests he was actually the exhausted victim of her unyielding demands for material success.

A woman whose natural grief over her son's death warped into a lifelong, demanding obsession. She insists her emotional pain is holier and greater than anyone else's, treating her grief as a badge of honor. She attempts to use the new country solely as a means to reunite with her child, failing to comprehend that divine love must come first.

A solid Spirit who tries to help his sister look past her overwhelming obsession with her son. He gently but firmly explains that one cannot enter the mountains simply as a means to an earthly end, urging her to direct her love toward God before seeking a reunion with her child.

An earthly man who dedicated his life to researching the mechanics of survival. According to the story shared with the narrator, he chose to return to his dreary home because a place where everyone survives eternally offered him no further opportunity to study his specific obsession. He mistook the means of living for the end goal of life itself.

A formerly renowned painter who cares more about the act of representing beauty than experiencing beauty itself. He is deeply distressed to learn that his earthly fame holds no value in the bright country and that the environment requires no artistic interpretation. He hesitates to give up his sense of creative self-importance in exchange for reality.