Benjy is the 33-year-old youngest Compson brother. He has an unspecified mental disability and experiences time in a highly fluid, non-linear way, constantly fusing past memories with his present reality. Because he cannot communicate effectively, he relies entirely on his sister Caddy and the family's servants for emotional support and physical care.

Quentin is the eldest Compson sibling, spending his first year of college at Harvard. He is deeply troubled by his family's declining legacy and the shifting moral values of the modern South. His intense, obsessive feelings of protectiveness toward his sister consume his thoughts and isolate him from his peers.

Jason is the middle Compson brother who works as a clerk at a local hardware store and serves as the current head of the household. He is overwhelmingly bitter about his social standing, his menial job, and his financial obligations. He constantly attempts to assert tyrannical authority over his niece and the household servants to compensate for his own perceived failures.

Caddy is the only Compson daughter and the emotional center of her brothers' lives. She is adventurous and rebellious, often flouting the traditional Southern expectations placed upon women. Her developing sexuality and fierce independence cause significant anxiety for her family, fundamentally altering the household dynamic.

Miss Quentin is Caddy's daughter, taken in and raised by the Compsons after her mother's marriage dissolves. She inherits her mother's rebellious streak and lives under the strict, often tyrannical supervision of her Uncle Jason. She frequently skips school and openly defies the rules imposed upon her, desperate to escape the suffocating environment of the Compson home.

Dilsey is the steadfast Black housekeeper for the Compson family. Amidst the chaos and cruelty of her employers, she provides the only genuine source of stability, patience, and warmth in the household. She takes primary responsibility for Benjy's care and bravely attempts to shield Miss Quentin from Jason's wrath.

Mrs. Compson is the matriarch of the family, fiercely protective of her Bascomb maiden name and heritage. She frequently claims poor health and views the family's many misfortunes as personal punishments visited upon her. She relies heavily on her favored son, Jason, while maintaining a strained distance from her other children.

Mr. Compson is the patriarch of the family, an educated man steeped in philosophical pessimism. He turns to alcohol to cope with the steady decline of his family's wealth and prestige. He often espouses dark views on the futility of human existence, attempting to prepare his children for a world he views as inherently meaningless.

Luster is Dilsey's grandson and the servant currently tasked with caring for Benjy in the present day. He is a young man easily distracted by his own desires, particularly his eagerness to attend a traveling show that has come to town. Though he generally keeps Benjy safe, he occasionally teases him out of boredom or frustration.

T.P. is a servant in the Compson household who helps manage the family's daily tasks. He drives the aging family carriage and occasionally cares for Benjy, though his methods sometimes involve sharing a drink with his charge to keep him quiet.

Roskus is Dilsey's husband and a long-time servant for the Compson family. He views the family's many tragedies—and Benjy's disability in particular—as literal manifestations of a curse upon the household.

Uncle Maury is Mrs. Compson's brother. He relies on his sister's family for money and engages in secret affairs, heavily trading on the Bascomb family name to excuse his laziness and lack of employment. He uses the Compson children to run messages for his illicit romances.

Sydney Herbert Head is a wealthy banker who courts Caddy. He represents new money and tries to buy his way into the good graces of the old-money Compson family, relying on his financial stability to excuse his past indiscretions at Harvard.

Shreve is Quentin's college roommate from Canada. He attempts to look out for Quentin, often trying to defuse his sudden outbursts of anger and keep him grounded in reality during their time at school.