Akaky Akakievich is a dedicated, poorly paid titular councilor who works entirely as a copyist. He finds immense satisfaction in his repetitive work, often ignoring his physical surroundings and skipping meals to focus on his handwriting. His passive nature makes him a frequent target for office mockery, yet he rarely complains unless physically interrupted.

Petrovich is a heavy-drinking tailor and a former serf who previously went by the name Grigory. He lives in a cramped, cockroach-filled apartment and spends a large portion of his time arguing with his wife. Despite his gruff demeanor and alcohol habits, he possesses exceptional technical skill and takes immense pride in creating quality garments.

The Person of Consequence is a recently promoted bureaucrat who places a high value on his new rank and social standing. He actively works to intimidate those lower than him in the bureaucratic hierarchy, equating strictness with proper management. Underneath his arrogant professional facade, he is generally considered an intelligent and agreeable man by his social equals.

Karolina is a woman of German extraction living in St. Petersburg. She serves as the mistress to the Person of Consequence, offering him an agreeable diversion away from his official duties and formal life.

She is married to the tailor Petrovich, sharing his grimy living quarters. Her husband frequently refers to her as a worldly woman and a German whenever they fall into one of their regular arguments.

The landlady is a seventy-year-old woman who rents a room to Akaky. She possesses a practical understanding of how local authority functions, directing her tenant away from the regular police and toward more effective channels.

This unnamed young clerk works in the same department as Akaky Akakievich. Unlike the majority of the office staff who participate in the daily mockery, he experiences a moment of profound realization about human cruelty when he hears Akaky refer to him as a brother.