Esmeralda’s father. He is usually presented as having good intentions. However, he is unreliable and often selfish. Despite giving Mami seven children, he refuses to marry her, eventually letting her take the children to New York rather than marry her. After his children move to New York, Esmeralda learns that he has remarried. She says that he is dead to her, but Mami says that the children must never forget him. Papi is not shown to have many redeemable qualities beyond an occasional willingness to provide for and entertain the children during his irregular visits.

Mami loves her children but is often harsh and occasionally abusive. She is responsible for many of the ideas Esmeralda forms about women, but they are not always positive. Esmeralda sees many things about her mother that she does not want to emulate. In many ways, she wants to be the kind of woman her mother is not. By the end of the book, Mami has become a mouthpiece for the idea of the American Dream. She teaches her children that hard work is all that is needed to succeed. However, she remains insecure in many ways.

Tato is Lola’s son, a wild boy who tries to talk Esmeralda into crude sexual games. When he grabs her inappropriately, she kicks him and runs. Tato is her first personal introduction into the sinister side of male lust. Esmeralda describes him as not being afraid of anything, a trait that is exhilarating until he also shows that he is unafraid to force himself on her.

Esmeralda’s little brother. He hurts his foot during a bicycle accident and faces possible amputation. Esmeralda always feels responsible for his accident. He is a symbol of her guilt.

Rita is a friend of a neighbor. She wears tight dresses and low-cut blouses. She is beloved by the men in the neighborhood. Mami refers to her as a “terrible woman” who is a bad example for all the female children. She also goes out partying while neglecting her children, which will matter more to Esmeralda as she experiences the neglect of her own father. Whenever Esmeralda imagines the word puta and what putas are like, Rita is who she imagines.