John is a 32-year-old silver engraver who is deaf and communicates primarily through sign language. Following the institutionalization of his only friend, he moves into the Kelly family boardinghouse and takes his meals at the New York Café. His quiet demeanor and attentive gaze cause the lonely residents of the town to project their own hopes, fears, and ideologies onto him.

Mick is a twelve-year-old girl whose parents operate a struggling local boardinghouse. She spends her days pulling her younger brothers through the neighborhood in a wagon and climbing construction sites. Lacking the money for a piano or formal lessons, she harbors an intense internal obsession with music, often sneaking out at night to listen to symphonies playing on neighbors' radios.

Jake is a transient mechanic who arrives in town and secures a job operating a merry-go-round in a poor neighborhood. He struggles with severe alcoholism and carries deep anger regarding capitalist exploitation and social inequality. Feeling fundamentally alienated from society, he views himself as a political preacher to the working class.

Dr. Copeland is a prominent Black physician who dedicates his life to serving his segregated community. He holds strict, uncompromising views on education, racial dignity, and the necessity of rejecting white paternalism. His severe intellectual expectations have alienated him from his children, leaving him intellectually proud but deeply isolated.

Biff owns the local café-bar, which he keeps open all night to avoid sleeping. He is an avid observer of human behavior, taking quiet interest in the misfits and wanderers who pass through his doors. He maintains an emotionally sterile marriage and quietly collects physical trinkets that remind him of his lost youth and passing time.

Spiros is John Singer's deaf best friend and roommate. He is heavily focused on his physical comforts, showing a massive appetite for food, cooking, and drinking. When an illness shifts his behavior toward shoplifting and erratic acts, his family has him committed to a psychiatric hospital, severing John's primary connection to the world.

Portia works as domestic help for the Kelly family. She is Dr. Copeland's daughter but sharply contrasts his rigid intellectualism with her warm, forgiving nature and strong religious faith. She constantly worries about her family members and attempts to bridge the emotional gaps her father has created.

Willie is Portia's brother and Dr. Copeland's son. He works in the kitchen at the New York Café. Unlike his father, Willie does not prioritize rigorous academic study, which causes severe friction during their family visits.

Bubber is Mick's seven-year-old brother. In the early summer, he is a peaceful, empathetic child who eagerly follows Mick around the neighborhood and learns Spanish from her. A violent neighborhood incident abruptly ends his innocence, changing his personality completely.

Alice is Biff's wife and a pragmatic presence at the New York Café. She focuses her energy on religion and managing the business's daily operations, maintaining a cold and distant marriage with Biff.

Lucile is Alice's sister. She has endured a turbulent, off-and-on marriage with her ex-husband Leroy. She focuses entirely on her daughter, Baby, dressing her up in hopes of launching a modeling career to secure a better future.

Baby is Lucile's young daughter. She is kept isolated from the rougher neighborhood children, dressed in fine clothes, and trained by her mother to behave like a tiny adult model.

Harry is a Jewish teenager living near the Kellys. He works for Biff at the café and closely follows international news, frequently discussing the rise of fascism with Mick.

Mick's father is a former carpenter who suffered an injury that forced him to take up watch repair. He feels intense shame over his inability to financially support his large family, retreating into silence in his workshop.

Mick's mother works constantly to keep the family afloat by cooking and cleaning for the paying boarders. She relies heavily on Mick to keep the younger children out of the way.

Highboy is Portia's husband. He shares a home with Portia and her brother Willie, maintaining a cheerful demeanor that severely clashes with Dr. Copeland's demanding presence.