The narrator
The narrator is an unnamed woman who has not been lucky because she grew up in a male-chauvinistic society. The narrator says that society categorizes girls into best and un-best girls. The best girls are the most beautiful. The un-best girls are considered ugly and useless by society. The narrator says she belongs to the un-best girls and has to confront the worst experience in her life.
According to the narrator, women in society are incurable because of their trauma and mistreatment. For instance, women are raped, and whenever they go to seek medical attention, doctors treat them as pieces of trash. The narrator gives examples of women who suffered during their childhood. The narrator diverts readers' attention to the photos of the incurable women posted on the walls of Salpêtrière Hospital. The photos show miserable phases that represent the suffering of women in society.
Dr. Jean Martin Charcot
Dr. Charcot is one of the greatest doctors in Salpêtrière Hospital. According to the account of an unnamed female patient, Dr. Charcot is the only medic who treats women with dignity. When Dr. Charcot dies, his body lies in state to allow his patients to study his body the way he studied them during medical examinations.
Augustine
Augustine is one of the characters who experienced trauma while in the asylum. Augustine was mistreated, raped and misdiagnosed by doctors in Salpêtrière Hospital. One day, Augustine dressed as a boy and escaped the facility. In her later years, Augustine was celebrated as one of the greatest hysterics.
Blanche
Blanche is one of the girls who fall into the "Best Girls" category in the asylum. Because of her good looks and sexy body, Blanche is sexually exploited, and she often performs in the asylum arena to show off her body to give credit to doctors who claim to have done surgeries on her to enhance her beauty.
