Theodor is a young boy and the son of the village organist. Raised in an environment that heavily restricts secular knowledge, he receives a traditional Christian education designed to make him revere the church above all else. Despite this, he possesses a natural curiosity and enjoys spending time in the woods with his friends, smoking and discussing the supernatural. His perspective on morality faces severe challenges when he befriends a stranger with divine abilities.

Satan is an angel and the nephew of the devil, appearing in Eseldorf as a graceful, handsome teenager. To conceal his identity from the adults, he instructs the boys to call him Philip Traum. He claims to be entirely sinless and operates outside human moral frameworks, viewing humanity as illogical and hypocritical. He possesses vast magical abilities, including the power to create life, teleport, and alter the predetermined life paths of the villagers.

Father Peter is a devout local priest whose teachings emphasize a loving and forgiving God. This theological stance draws severe backlash, leading to his suspension and plunging him into crippling debt. He staunchly defends the Moral Sense as the quality that elevates humanity and ensures spiritual salvation, remaining steadfast in his beliefs even as he faces extreme poverty and legal accusations.

The town astrologer is a powerful and vindictive figure in Eseldorf who views Father Peter as a direct threat to his practice. He manipulates the superstitious fears of the villagers to consolidate his own influence. He goes to great lengths to ruin Father Peter, ultimately accusing the priest of stealing his gold coins.

Seppi is a young village boy and one of Theodor's two closest companions in Eseldorf. He shares his friends' fascination with supernatural tales and eagerly participates in the activities Satan orchestrates. He observes the village dynamics closely, such as noting the disappearance of a local loafer, and attempts to understand the extreme events unfolding in his town.

Nikolaus is a kindhearted boy who lives in Eseldorf and forms the third member of Theodor's close friend group. He is consistently generous, even when his peers treat him poorly, and readily offers grace to others. His inherent goodness makes him a focal point when Satan decides to meddle with the predetermined paths of the village residents.

Marget is Father Peter's niece and lives with him in Eseldorf. When her uncle is suspended, she bears the brunt of the resulting social and financial isolation, eventually finding herself destitute and reliant on a single housekeeper. She attempts to maintain her dignity and household, eventually finding herself hosting Satan under his Philip Traum alias.

Ursula is the dedicated housekeeper for Father Peter and Marget. She refuses to abandon her employers when they fall into poverty, suffering from hunger and social isolation alongside them. She inadvertently brings suspicion upon the household when she adopts a stray cat that seemingly brings financial luck.

Wilhelm is a young lawyer in Eseldorf who takes a romantic interest in Marget. He steps up to provide legal defense for Father Peter when the priest faces trial. While well-intentioned, his lack of experience causes him severe anxiety during the legal proceedings.

Father Adolf is a strict priest in Eseldorf who assumes control of the congregation after Father Peter is ousted. He feeds into the town's paranoia by actively encouraging the villagers to spy on Father Peter's household and search for evidence of witchcraft.

Solomon Isaacs is a moneylender in Eseldorf. He extends loans to Father Peter during the priest's suspension but eventually loses patience and demands the return of his funds, pushing the family to the brink of ruin.

Lisa Brandt is a young resident of Eseldorf. Her future becomes tied to Satan's grand experiments with human life paths, leading to an incident that deeply impacts the entire village and specifically challenges Nikolaus.

Frau Brandt is a village woman who experiences extreme grief following a sudden tragedy. She faces severe financial debts and emotional turmoil, ultimately openly questioning her religious faith and the justice of God.

Fischer is a local weaver in Eseldorf. He finds himself in a bitter dispute with Frau Brandt, an interaction orchestrated by Satan to demonstrate how minor conflicts can have major spiritual consequences for ordinary humans.

Hans Oppert is a village loafer known primarily for his violent temper and drunkenness. He routinely beats his dog, serving as a primary example for Satan's argument that humans use their reasoning to commit acts of cruelty that animals never would.

Agnes is a stray cat that Satan encourages Ursula to adopt, labeling her a money cat that brings fortune. The sudden influx of wealth associated with Agnes leads the zealous townspeople to accuse the household of practicing witchcraft.