Harry is the physically imposing and well-fed leader of the taxi drivers' union. He represents the corrupt side of labor organization, hoarding wealth gathered from the drivers while remaining oblivious to their starvation. He uses rhetoric to create the illusion of choice while relying on an armed gunman to maintain control over the desperate workers.

Joe is an average taxi driver and World War I veteran who carries shrapnel wounds from his military service. He initially doubts the effectiveness of striking and fears losing his meager income. However, the immediate threat of his family starving pushes him to recognize the necessity of taking collective action against the union bosses.

Edna is Joe's tired but resilient wife, worn down by the severe poverty of the Great Depression. Seeing her children go hungry and lacking basic necessities, she refuses to accept their worsening situation. She leverages her own power in the domestic sphere by threatening to leave Joe in order to motivate him to stand up for himself.

Miller is a skilled lab assistant who faces a severe moral dilemma when offered a lucrative promotion. He discovers the new position requires creating poisonous gas for warfare and spying on his lead chemist. He firmly declines the offer, physically striking the industrialist and sacrificing his livelihood to maintain his ethical principles.

Fayette is a wealthy industrialist who views human life as expendable and morality as a commodity. He finances the creation of chemical weapons, banking on future wars for profit. He expects his employees to sell their loyalty and ethics for financial security, demonstrating confusion when confronted with genuine principles.

Florence is a young, obedient woman who helps care for her sick, bedridden mother. She is deeply in love with Sid but faces intense pressure from her brother to abandon the relationship due to Sid's poverty. She desires a future beyond just struggling, though she expresses a genuine willingness to face financial hardships for love.

Irv is Florence's pragmatic and unsentimental brother. He takes a hardline stance against Florence's relationship with a taxi driver, pointing out the practical impossibility of building a life on poverty wages. He insists that their sick mother requires their financial attention and threatens violence if Florence does not break off the engagement.

Sid is a young taxi driver who has been engaged to Florence for three years. Disillusioned by a rigged economic system that keeps him impoverished, he recognizes the impossibility of supporting a family on his wages. He values Florence's well-being enough to make difficult personal sacrifices, choosing to end the relationship rather than trap her in a life of poverty.

Tom Clayton/Clancy is presented to the union assembly as an experienced worker who travels from Philadelphia to share his perspective. He addresses the restless crowd amiably, detailing his past experiences with labor movements. He attempts to pacify the drivers and influence their decision regarding their own potential strike.

Dr. Benjamin is a highly skilled surgeon from a poor background, having relied on his parents' sacrifices to attend medical school. He encounters severe classist and antisemitic practices within the hospital system when his charity-case patient is handed over to an incompetent but well-connected doctor. Outraged, he considers leaving the country to practice medicine elsewhere or staying to fight for systemic change alongside the working class.

Dr. Barnes is an older hospital administrator who despises the nepotism dictating life and death in his institution. Although he votes against unfair policies and recognizes the corruption of wealthy board members, he prioritizes his own privileged position and job security over taking direct action on behalf of marginalized doctors.

Agate is a bold, older driver who lost an eye in a factory accident as an eleven-year-old child. He wears his glass eye proudly as a badge of his working-class history. Drawing on past experiences where marginalized political groups offered him food and camaraderie, he pushes his fellow drivers to take agency over their own lives rather than relying on absent leaders.

Lefty Costello is the elected chairman of the taxi drivers' union and the central figure the workers expect to lead their strike. Described as possessing tremendous courage, he represents the hope of the working class against capitalist exploitation. His notable absence forces the average workers to evaluate their own willingness to organize and lead themselves.

Emmy is Joe and Edna's young daughter. She suffers from sickness and malnutrition due to the severe poverty her family endures, serving as a primary motivation for Joe to demand better wages.

Bud is a former boyfriend of Edna who still carries a photograph of her. He represents a potential, albeit financially stable, alternative life for Edna outside of her marriage to Joe.

Sam is Sid's brother who recently enlisted in the military. His decision highlights the desperate choices impoverished young men make to secure financial stability during the Great Depression.

Dr. Leeds is an incompetent surgeon and the nephew of a senator. He benefits from nepotism, taking over a scheduled surgery from a more qualified doctor simply due to his political connections.

Mrs. Lewis is an impoverished patient in the charity ward of the hospital. Her medical care is compromised when hospital administrators prioritize nepotism over medical expertise.

The Gunman is a silent, intimidating presence who watches the taxi drivers warily. He stands ready to act on Harry Fatt's commands, serving as the physical threat of violence used to suppress dissenting workers.

Dr. Brenner is an important chemist working on a top-secret chemical weapons project for Fayette. He is unaware that his lab assistants are being asked to secretly spy on his progress for the industrialist.