Lawrence Newman
Newman is a timid and recreant man. He is the personnel manager for a rather large firm and he lives with his mother. He is xenophobic; however, his nature forbids him from being too vocal about his beliefs. Newman procures a new pair of glasses which cause him to be falsely identified as a Jewish man. Due to this, he faces a number of difficulties. He is passed over for a promotion at his company, he is assaulted in the streets and his personal property is damaged.
Finkelstein
Finkelstein is a Jewish man who lives in Newman's neighborhood. He owns a candy store. He faces constant persecution in the face of mounting anti-semitism in the city. He is the target of his Christian neighbors who want to live in a country without Jews. Finkelstein is also a very proud and resilient man. When Newman tries to convince him to leave the neighborhood to escape the torture, he adamantly refuses. He remains strong despite all the assaults and abuse he has had to face.
Fred
Fred is Newman's neighbor who is also xenophobic. Unlike Newman, however, he acts on his beliefs. He is determined to eject the 'new element' in their neighborhood - Finkelstein. He conducts anti-semitic rallies with his alliances in the pursuit of his beliefs.
Gertrude
Gertrude is Newman's wife. She used to live with the leader of an anti-semitic group that worked to remove all Jews from California. She knows what these organizations and gangs are capable of, and warns Newman of imminent danger when his trash can is found overturned one morning. She too is anti-semitic. She is disgusted when she is wrongly identified as a Jew.
