Bakha is an eighteen-year-old Hindu street sweeper in charge of the public latrines. Born into the Untouchable caste, he occupies the lowest social tier in Indian society and performs labor the upper castes refuse to do. He harbors a fascination with the British military, adopting their clothing in an attempt to distance himself from his grim reality. He is diligent and physically capable, but his tolerance for the daily abuses of the caste system rapidly deteriorates over the course of a single day.

Sohini is Bakha's fourteen-year-old sister. She carries the heavy burden of fetching water for her family, a task made exceedingly difficult by the fact that Untouchables cannot draw their own water from the well. She possesses striking physical beauty, which draws intense, uninvited scrutiny from men of all castes and incites jealousy from older women.

Lakha is the patriarch of the family and a widower. Having spent his entire life working for the upper castes as an Untouchable, he tries to instill a sense of absolute resignation in his children. He frequently bullies Bakha, Sohini, and Rakha, using his authority over his children to vent the frustration of his complete powerlessness in Indian society.

Charat Singh is a famous hockey player in the 38th Dogras regiment and a Brahmin. Unlike most upper-caste individuals in the community, he treats Bakha with casual familiarity and ignores the strict cultural rules regarding physical pollution. He enjoys athletic competition and acts with spontaneous generosity.

Colonel Hutchison is the chief of the local Salvation Army and an English Christian missionary. He attempts to bridge the cultural gap by speaking Hindustani and wearing trousers, presenting himself as an alternative authority figure to the Hindu elites. He preaches a gospel of spiritual equality, though his approach carries significant cultural blind spots.

Kali Nath is an older, upper-caste Hindu priest who commands deference from the lower castes. He controls access to essential resources like the communal well and leverages this power to arrange private meetings with vulnerable young women under the guise of assigning religious chores.

Chota is an Untouchable boy and one of Bakha's closest companions. He shares Bakha's enthusiasm for street hockey and provides a sense of camaraderie. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and quick to suggest aggressive retaliation against those who mistreat them.

Ram Charan is another of Bakha's friends from the Untouchable colony. He is preoccupied with the social and familial obligations of his sister's arranged marriage, but he remains an active participant in the boys' social circle and their street hockey games.

Rakha is the youngest child in Lakha's family. He operates under the constant strain of his father's harsh temper and contributes to the family's survival by roaming the town to scavenge and beg for leftover food.

Gulabo is an outcaste woman belonging to a slightly higher social tier than the street sweepers. She harbors a bitter, intense jealousy toward Sohini's natural beauty and exercises whatever small power she has by verbally attacking the younger girl at the communal well.

Mahatma Gandhi is a revered political and spiritual figure who makes a major public appearance in the local town. He attracts a massive, highly diverse crowd and speaks passionately about the necessity of eradicating the caste system, serving as a polarizing symbol of hope for the oppressed.

The Poet is an educated Indian man who attends the political rally. He views untouchability as a national blight and argues that modern sanitation technology, such as the flushing toilet, will naturally dismantle the caste system's practical foundations.

The Lawyer is an educated, pragmatic man who listens to the rally but remains highly skeptical of its social aims. He argues that ancient traditions rarely change and believes the caste system will easily endure despite ongoing protests.

The Tonga-wallah is a Muhammadan (Muslim) cart driver. Because the Hindu caste system treats his religion as equally polluting as the Untouchables, he operates outside the strict rules of physical contamination and freely steps in to offer Bakha physical and emotional support following a violent incident.

The wife of the English missionary harbors deep-seated racial prejudices against the local population. She aggressively undermines her husband's teachings of spiritual equality by verbally attacking him for bringing an Untouchable near their church.

The Elder Wealthy Boy is an upper-caste student who casually interacts with Bakha. He enjoys the privilege of attending school—an opportunity denied to the lower castes—and strikes a bargain to give Bakha basic reading lessons for a small fee.