The Time Traveller is a brilliant Victorian inventor and scientist who hosts a weekly discussion group. Earnest and ambitious, he possesses a strong interest in social reform, geometry, and human evolution. He builds a functioning time machine that transports him hundreds of thousands of years into the future. His resourcefulness and determination face severe tests as he explores the bizarre remains of human civilization.

Weena is a member of the Eloi, a small, gentle species living in the year 802,701. Like the rest of her people, she spends her days playfully picking flowers and eating a diet entirely of fruit. She lacks intellectual power or significant physical strength. She develops a strong, unthinking devotion to the Time Traveller after he saves her life, choosing to follow him closely during his dangerous explorations.

The Narrator is a regular guest at the Time Traveller's weekly salon and one of the few attendees sympathetic to the inventor's claims. He serves as an attentive observer who documents the evening's events and the incredible tales presented to the group. He struggles between rational disbelief and a desire to trust his highly intelligent friend.

The Morlocks are an underground species of apelike creatures in the distant future. Adapted to the dark, they have pale fur and large eyes. They operate the subterranean machinery that sustains the surface world, functioning as the menacing, nocturnal caretakers of the future earth.

Filby is an argumentative person with red hair who regularly attends the Thursday gatherings. He acts as a vocal doubter, readily challenging the host's scientific theories and bringing a stubborn attitude to the salon discussions.

The Medical Man is a professional who frequents the Time Traveller’s salon. He approaches the host's claims with a practical mindset, demanding physical proof that the miniature time machine model is not merely a clever magic trick.

The Psychologist assists the Time Traveller in the demonstration of the miniature model by pressing its lever. He attempts to rationalize the object's disappearance using logical analogies about speed and visual perception.

The Editor is a media professional who attends the Time Traveller’s salon. He displays a casual skepticism regarding the host's claims, readily mocking the concept of time travel and dismissing fantastic stories as mere material for fiction.

The Provincial Mayor is a local official included among the upper-class men enjoying after-dinner conversation at the Time Traveller’s home. He stands as a representative of the established social order of Victorian England.

The Very Young Man is one of the attendees at the Time Traveller’s weekly salon. He provides a more youthful presence among the established professionals gathered for after-dinner drinks.

Dash is one of the men who occasionally attends the Time Traveller’s Thursday evening discussion group.

Chose is another of the regular or semi-regular attendees at the Time Traveller’s elegant Richmond home.

Mrs. Watchett is the Time Traveller’s servant. She goes about her daily household duties entirely unaware of the incredible temporal experiments occurring in the laboratory. She appears as a rapid blur of motion to her employer as he accelerates through time.

The Eloi are a population of small, frail people living in the distant future. Clad in colorful robes, they enjoy a carefree, communal existence focused on eating fruit and playing with flowers. Their perfectly curated, peaceful lives over thousands of generations have resulted in a significant loss of intellectual power and physical strength.