Lutie is a hardworking, beautiful single mother who works as a file clerk. Driven by a desire to provide a safe, stable environment for her son, Bub, she moves into a grim apartment on 116th Street. She carries a strong sense of resolve forged from past hardships, including her separation from her husband and her time working as a maid for a wealthy white family in Connecticut. She constantly worries about money and societal barriers, aspiring to achieve financial stability through hard work despite the oppressive reality of her surroundings.

Bub is Lutie's 8-year-old son, a lonely but resourceful boy trying to understand the harsh world of 116th Street. Because Lutie works long hours to support them, he spends much of his time unsupervised in their dark, quiet apartment or wandering the neighborhood. He deeply loves his mother and desperately wants to help ease her financial burdens, though his innocence makes him vulnerable to the manipulative adults around him.

Jones is the superintendent of Lutie's apartment building on 116th Street. Having lived a lonely, isolated existence working in basements and on ships, he struggles to interact normally with others and harbors deep-seated anger at the world. He develops an immediate, obsessive physical desire for Lutie, viewing her as both a conquest and a validation of his own worth.

Mrs. Hedges is a physically imposing woman who runs a brothel out of her first-floor apartment on 116th Street. She bears severe burn scars from a past fire, an event that left her bald and convinced she is unfit for romantic love. Highly observant and street-smart, she constantly monitors the building's comings and goings, always looking for a way to turn a profit from the desperation of her neighbors.

Junto is a wealthy white businessman who owns the Junto Bar and Grill, the local casino, and various properties throughout Harlem. He wields immense financial and social power over the neighborhood's residents. Operating quietly but forcefully in the background, he treats the people of 116th Street primarily as financial assets to be managed and manipulated for his own gain.

Boots is a prominent, wealthy bandleader who drives a flashy car and wears expensive clothes. Having previously suffered the indignities of working as a Pullman porter, he uses his newfound wealth and status to command respect and distance himself from poverty. He offers Lutie an audition with his band, blending professional opportunity with his own predatory romantic interest.

Min is a timid, unassuming woman who lives rent-free with Jones. Having endured a lifetime of abuse and neglect from previous partners, she values the basic shelter and relative peace Jones initially provided. She relies on superstitious practices and the guidance of a root doctor to protect her precarious living situation, fiercely guarding her one prized possession, a sturdy coffee table.

Pops is Lutie's father, an alcoholic who sells bootleg liquor to make ends meet. He lives a chaotic lifestyle filled with wild parties and various girlfriends, creating an unstable environment that forces Lutie to seek her own housing. Despite his flaws, he serves as a stark example to Lutie of the perils of poverty and addiction in their community.

Mrs. Chandler is a wealthy white woman who hires Lutie as a live-in maid. She enjoys a life of affluence and luxury that initially appears picture-perfect to Lutie. While superficially kind, she is deeply embedded in the casual racism and classism of her social circle, often absorbing the paranoid warnings of her friends regarding Lutie's presence in her home.

Jim is Lutie's estranged husband and Bub's father. Unemployed and frustrated by the lack of opportunities available to black men, his pride steadily erodes as Lutie becomes the primary breadwinner by working away from home. His feelings of inadequacy ultimately lead him to seek validation through an adulterous affair, permanently fracturing their family.

Lil is Pops' girlfriend, a woman who spends her time drinking, smoking, and carousing at all hours. Her disruptive presence in Pops' home creates an unsafe and chaotic environment for Bub, serving as the final catalyst for Lutie to move to 116th Street.

Mary is a thin, previously dispirited young woman who lives with Mrs. Hedges. She helps with errands and shopping in exchange for shelter, ultimately working as a prostitute within Mrs. Hedges's first-floor brothel.

Prophet David is a tall, turban-wearing root doctor and conjurer who operates a traditional healing shop. He provides his desperate clients with powders, candles, and symbols designed to influence the world around them, offering them an illusion of control over their chaotic lives.

Miss Rinner is a white school teacher who travels to Harlem to teach Bub's class. She actively dreads her commute and holds her impoverished, raggedly dressed students in deep contempt, viewing the neighborhood and its residents as a constant threat to her personal safety.

Mr. Crosse is an unkempt, physically imposing talent manager who exploits aspiring performers. He runs a predatory business model, demanding either exorbitant training fees or sexual favors in exchange for vague promises of career advancement.

Gray Cap is the leader of a group of neighborhood ruffians who roam 116th Street. He aggressively targets younger, more vulnerable children like Bub, representing the everyday violence and predatory nature of the local streets.

Granny is Lutie's grandmother, remembered for her strict moral compass and constant presence in the home. She provides a sharp contrast to the instability of Lutie's adult life, offering a baseline of childhood security that Lutie desperately wishes she could replicate for her own son.

Mr. Chandler is the patriarch of the wealthy white family that employs Lutie as a maid. Despite his affluence, he suffers from deep personal unhappiness, often drinking to excess and exhibiting quiet hostility within his seemingly perfect home.

Little Henry is the young son of Mr. and Mrs. Chandler. Because his parents are largely absorbed in their own social lives and marital conflicts, he spends a significant amount of time under Lutie's daily care.