Larissa is one of the two protagonists and narrators of The Night We Met. She had a rough childhood and has always struggled financially. Her father was largely absent and irresponsible, while her mother devalued herself in relationships and depended on men to take care of her and Larissa, while trying to change these men who wouldn’t want to work on themselves.

In her adult life, Larissa is hyper-independent, never wanting to ask someone else for favors to avoid depending on others like her mother did. She still struggles financially as an adult, working various jobs. She waitresses at Donna’s Diner but also sells food she makes in bulk, drives for various delivery services, and works as a secret shopper, along with other gigs. Despite her efforts, she still lives paycheck to paycheck, stuck in a cycle of poverty that gives her little agency of her own. Larissa lives in a small apartment with her mother, for whom she also provides since Nancy injured her hand and can’t work. While Larissa’s life is greatly influenced by her financial struggles, she tries to make the best of it, as Chris later notes. This greatly weighs on Larissa, though, leaving her exhausted and in survival mode throughout most of the novel.